For Your Protection
by kjwalker
Summary: Rory Storms's life changes the day she is kidnapped by HYDRA. She is thrown into a new world of superheros and evil villains. HYDRA will stop at nothing until she is captured and killed. Fury hides her away and charges Cap. Steve Rogers to protect her. Can the First Avenger save her from being another casualty in the war against HYDRA? Steve Rogers/O.C.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! I'm so happy to have started this new story. I've had a few ideas for Captain America stories and I just randomly started writing this one day when I got bored. I hope you guys like it! Definitely let me know what you think. Don't be shy. I love hearing from you guys. Sorry for any spelling/grammar errors. It's late and I want to get this up but I promise to go back and check it out in the morning. Anyways, on we go...**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything Marvel.**

* * *

 **Chapter One: Captured**

 **Undisclosed Location**

 **22:00 hours**

 **July 6, 2014**

Most people never expect to be thrown into a life-or-death situation when they wake up in the morning. They wake up tired and groggy, down a few cups of coffee to stay awake, and head off to work like every other day of the week – or that, at least, was what Rory Storms had been expecting of her day.

Now, chained to a desk in a cold interrogation room somewhere far away from home, she sat waiting to find out whether she would live or die. Her head still reeled from the blow she received trying to evade her captors a few hours before. The cool metal of the desk eased the throbbing in her forearms where they had grabbed her and held on tightly so she couldn't run.

At the moment she was trying to figure out exactly why she had been taken hostage by these people. Had she done something to anger them? Did they want to force money out of her father because he had just been elected senator? She knew for sure that this wasn't a random kidnapping. They wanted her for something or they would have killed her right off the bat.

Heated voices could be heard from outside the room. Rory's heart stopped beating and her body went rigid with fear. Suddenly the door to the room burst open and a man dressed in all black came stomping inside. He wore dark-shaded Aviator sunglasses with his jet black hair slicked back and a scar running down the left side of his face from his brow ridge to his jawline.

"Hello, Ms. Storms," he greeted. "My name is Mr. Rathmore and you have made my boss a very angry man."

"I haven't done anything," she whispered, averting her eyes.

Mr. Rathmore sighed and dropped a folder on the table in front of her. Stamped on the front in bright red ink was the word 'CAPTURED'. Underneath it was the symbol she had grown familiar with over the past six months – a black skull with six tentacles curled below it. HYDRA.

"In that folder is every story you have written for the _New York Post_ regarding my employer's business. There is information in those that is not common knowledge to a lot of people. The fact that you made it common knowledge is why you are here," he explained.

"I just wrote what I was assigned. I'm new there and don't have much say," she stammered. "My father's the only reason I got the job. People with my experience start out writing obituaries, not hard news stories."

The man began pacing back and forth in front of Rory causing her to become more anxious. He stopped off to the left of her and asked, "Where did you get the information to back the stories? You had to of had sources in high places."

"I don't know where it came from. There would just be folders full of information at my door when I got home at night. I used what was inside to write my articles. I never talked to a single person for information."

"You expect me to believe that a magical folder with all the right stuff planted itself on your doorstep? How stupid do you think I am? You journalists always have a hidden agenda when it comes to hardcore shit like this. You have no idea the kind of fucked up stuff you've stumbled upon but, honey, you're in over your head," he laughed.

She tried to hide the panic that she felt when he started getting angry. Her hands were growing sweaty and the bundle of nerves in her stomach were about to make her throw up.

"We may have been beaten in D.C. but S.H.E.I.L.D. fell as well. Cut off one head and two more shall take its place. No one will be coming to save you, Ms. Storms. Not even your rich father," he stated before rising and walking out of the room.

Xxx

 **S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters**

 **13:00 hours**

 **July 7, 2014**

"You wanted to see me, Sir."

Director Fury stayed where he was glancing out the window of his office at the miles and miles of treetops surrounding S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new headquarters. With a job as stressful as his the view of the forest calmed him and made him feel safer than he usually did. The location of the new headquarters building was far more appealing than the Triskelion's. Fury would take secluded over metropolitan any day.

"I have a job for you," he explained as he turned to face Agent Clint Barton. "You and only you. I wanted it to be simple – get in and right back out."

Clint nodded. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

Fury picked up a folder on his desk and handed it to the agent. "Extraction. HYDRA snagged a journalist I had been feeding information to about what happened in D.C. Just enough so the world could see it wasn't entirely our fault for all the destruction. HYDRA didn't like what she was writing so they kidnapped her yesterday from her apartment in New York City. I want her back."

"Seems easy enough. Says here you think she's being held in Belize. The country might be small but I'm going to need a little more specific than that," Clint inquired.

"I've had Agent Swanson on it all night. He tells me an unmarked aircraft landed in Punta Gorda around 9 a.m. this morning. It only had three passengers onboard. Sounds a little suspicious if you ask me," the director responded.

Folding his hands behind his back and nodding, Clint asked, "When do I leave?"

"You have one hour to collect what you'll need and be on the tarmac for takeoff."

The archer turned and made his way to the door. Just as his hand rested on the door handle, Fury spoke:

"Oh, and Agent Barton, I need her alive. Preferably uninjured as well."

He nodded one final time before exiting the office and heading for the armory to pack for his approaching mission.

Xxx

 **Punta Gorda, Belize**

 **5:00 hours**

 **July 8, 2014**

The rumble of an explosion rocking her cell woke Rory from her fitful sleep. She sat up straight in the metal chair and stretched her aching limbs. There were no signs of damage in her room but she could hear shouting outside. She dared to hope that it was someone coming to rescue her causing the chaos beyond the door.

"Hello?" she called out and waited a moment for a response. Another, closer explosion shook the room. "Hello! I'm still in here!"

She shook her head to refocus and listen after the deafening boom left her dazed and deaf. Gunfire is the first distinct thing she recognized. In between the bouts of the shooting Rory could once again hear shouting.

A guard burst into her room and she jumped up in surprise: the chair she was sitting in clattering to the floor.

"Come with me," he ordered her in a thick Hispanic accent. "Now!"

Rory stumbled her way to him, still kind of out of it from the earlier explosion. He grabbed her arm to pull her along with him. They passed the threshold of her cell and stepped into chaos. Men were running around with automatic rifles held tightly against their chests. Orders were being yelled out to her right and guards were shooting down the hall to her left.

"I have the writer," the guard said while pressing his free hand to his earpiece. "Heading north towards Rendezvous A. Be ready for immediate evacuation when we arrive."

He tugged her arm harder to try and pick up the pace but she refused to move any faster. They made a sudden left and the guard froze without warning. Before she had time to see what caused them to stop she was whipped in front of the guard like a human shield and a pistol was pressed against her temple.

At the other end of the hallway stood a single man holding a bow. He was dressed in all black with a gray bird symbol on his armband. He smiled at them, lifted the bow, slowly pulled an arrow from his quiver, and nocked it.

"Why don't you be a champ and put down that gun?" the archer requested.

The guard squeezed the arm he had around Rory tighter and replied, "You know I cannot do that."

"You got a death wish or something, buddy?"

"I would gladly give my life for HYDRA, but I doubt you would risk killing the girl. If I die it would not matter." The archer locked eyes with her and winked. "Cut off one head, two more shall take—."

The bowman released the arrow and Rory slammed her eyes shut not wanting to know if it would hit its mark or miss. A whoosh of air blew past her face and she found herself freed from the guard's tight hold. Her eyes snapped open and she turned to see the guard dead on the floor behind her with an arrow protruding from his right eye.

"Let's go!" the guy called from his place down the hall.

She took another second gaping at the dead guard, committing it all to memory, before hurrying to meet the man who saved her life.

Xxx

 **S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters**

 **16:00 hours**

 **July 8, 2014**

"How is she?" Fury asked when Agent Barton was called to his office following his physical examination, shower and debriefing.

Clint shrugged. "Seemed to be fine on the way home. Quiet and a little shocked, but that's to be expected. Doc says she has a mild concussion from a blow to the back of the head and some cuts and bruises, too. Nothing that won't heal soon."

Fury nodded and leaned back in his chair. He waited a moment before pressing a finger against his glass table and speaking:

"Swanson, bring her in."

Rory entered, looking better than she did when Clint first saw her at the compound in Belize. Her dark auburn hair was wet and hung in loose curls down past her chest. She wore a plain white t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans that were a couple sizes too big on her small frame. Her blue eyes faced the ground and didn't look up even as Director Fury told her to take a seat.

"Ms. Storms I am Nicolas Fury, director of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. Or S.H.I.E.L.D.," he informed her. "I believe you've already met Agent Clint Barton when he rescued you."

Her eyes flittered to the man, Clint, sitting next to her and then back to her lap where her hands were clasped together.

"Do you know why HYDRA kidnapped you?" Fury questioned hoping to get something out of the introverted girl.

"M-my articles," she answered, raising her eyes to meet Fury's. "I wrote some articles on HYDRA and it made them angry. At least that's what the man told me."

"What man?"

"He said his name was Mr. Rathmore."

Fury pushed something on his holographic desk and said, "Swanson, get me everything you can on a 'Mr. Rathmore' in connection to HYDRA."

"Did he say anything else?" Fury asked.

"Just that my articles made his employer angry and that he didn't believe I was being fed the information from some unknown source," she told him.

Fury nodded and smiled. "So they don't know who's been sending you the folders. That's good news. Means we can keep working on getting information about them out to the public."

"You-You're the one who was sending me the folders? You're the reason they took me?" Rory shouted.

She bolted up out of the chair outraged by the new discovery.

"Who do you think put the idea of you working at the _Post_ in your father's head? I needed someone to get the information to the public without S.H.I.E.L.D. being dragged into it. Why do you think we saved you? We weren't just going in to save some helpless little journalist for no reason," the director explained.

"My father was in on this?" she shrieked and started pacing the floor in between the archer and Fury.

"From the very beginning. He knew there was a chance you would be taken but I reassured him that we would retrieve you if the need arouse. And we did."

She ceased pacing and stood there facing Fury with her mouth wide open and a heated glare. Rory Storms was beyond pissed. How could her own father put her in harm's way just because some hotshot guy with an eyepatch and long, black coat said to?

Rory huffed and resumed pacing.

"Be mad all you want but it's in the past. We need to worry about what's going on now. You're still a target for HYDRA and they won't stop coming at you until they've squashed you like a bug," he added.

"So what are you gonna do? Lock me up in a box somewhere until it's safe to come out?" she joked.

"Not a box, exactly; a cabin," he clarified. "Swanson, get Dr. Banner on the line. I need to have a word with him. Barton, will you escort Ms. Storms to her room while I make arrangements."

He nodded and walked past Rory to the door. She decided going with him was better than staying here with Director Rude.

They were almost out the door when the director called for the archer.

"Barton, one more thing: when you've dropped Ms. Storms off at her room I need you to bring someone in."

"Who, Sir?" the agent asked.

"Captain Rogers."

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 **So that's it. Let me know what you think and I'll start working on the next chapter. :D -KAITi**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi, guys! Here's the second chapter. It's a little shorter than the first but I hope you like it all the same. A huge thanks to** **samantalu and  xMidnightLilliex for the follows :) And thanks to all the readers out there. **

**Anyways, on we go...**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Breakfast**

 **S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters**

 **16:30 hours**

 **July 8, 2014**

Rory was silent as Agent Barton showed her to her room after the meeting with Director Fury. She was still pissed beyond belief that her own father, the man who had raised her, had gone and thrown her to the wolves. She wasn't just some doll they could dress up and make dance around when they needed her to.

"The cabin's nice," Clint told her, breaking the silence. "The one you'll be staying at. It's small but it has all kinds of cool tech. Wi-Fi too."

I nodded and remained silent.

"You can let Fury know if you want anything special added to the cabin. Or if you want a secure line so you can talk with your dad—," he continued.

"Why would I want to talk to my dad?" I snapped. "He's part of the reason I'm in this stupid mess."

Clint held his hands up as a sign of surrender. "Look, I don't know what's running through that pretty little head of yours but he's still family."

"Family doesn't put your life in danger. Family protects you no matter what."

They lapsed back into silence for the rest of the walk. A few minutes later they arrived at a black door with the number '7' on it at the end of a short hallway. He took out his ID badge and held it in front of the sensor to the right of the doorway. The red light turned green and his name flashed across the tiny screen.

She entered first and scanned her eyes over the room. It was simple; probably meant for people staying here a short time. The walls were steel gray except for the one behind the queen-sized bed. Sleek black furniture was situated here and there. The bed sheets were gray and black and looked stiff, like no one had moved them in a long time. The only pop of color in the room was a single red pillow lying limply against the headboard. There were no windows on any of the walls.

"The bathroom is right here," the archer informed her. He opened the door to their right revealing an equally bland bathroom with gray walls and black accessories. She felt like she was trapped in the world's most boring hotel room. At that moment the cabin sounded like a five-star resort compared to where she was now.

"The cafeteria is down the hall and to the left when you get hungry. There's a map and a schedule for when meals are served on the nightstand by the bed. Your ID is there, too. You'll need that whenever you're outside this room," he explained.

Rory nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Clint clapped his hands together. "Alright, well, I'm gonna leave now."

"Okay."

He started to walk away but remembered something. He spun around and fished something out of one of his many pants packets. "Oh! Here." He grabbed her wrist and snapped on a red metallic bracelet. "If you need something, just press the green button and it'll call my phone. If you get lost, press the orange button and one of the desk agents will navigate you where you need to go."

"Thanks," she mumbled.

With that he turned and left. She then proceeded to go through all of the drawers and cabinets, most of which were empty save for a TV remote and the Bible. The tiny wardrobe was the only place that wasn't completely empty. To her surprise Rory found some of her clothes tucked inside.

"What the hell?" she asked herself as she pulled her favorite t-shirt out. The familiar worn Fleetwood Mac shirt was a sight for sore eyes but it made her even madder. Her father had obviously sent some of her things from her apartment to make her time here more comfortable.

"Bastard," she whispered. Despite her anger she pulled out a pair of clean cotton shorts and changed. Exhaustion was finally beginning to creep over her after the crazy events of the last few days.

Dressed and tired, Rory climbed onto the bed and crawled under the heavily starched blankets. She drifted into unconsciousness hoping when she woke up, she would be back home in her own bed.

Xxx

 **S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters**

 **7:00 hours**

 **July 9, 2014**

Loud banging on her door made Rory bolt upright in bed sometime later. Her breathing was fast and erratic for a moment as she reminded herself she wasn't back at the compound, but at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base.

She pushed her hair out of her face and got out of bed to go open the door. The knocking was still loud and persistent up until she pulled back the door and found herself face-to-face with Agent Barton.

"It's about time you answered the door, kid. I was about to break it down," he laughed.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she yawned, "Couldn't you have just swiped your ID and come in?"

"Knocking is more polite," he justified, stepping into the room.

"You weren't knocking, you were banging."

He leaned up against the wall by the bathroom and smiled. "When you sleep for sixteen hours straight and no one hears a peep out of you, banging is necessary."

"I slept for sixteen hours!" Rory belted.

He nodded. "Yep. You missed dinner last night so when I showed up to breakfast a few minutes ago and you weren't there I came knocking."

"Banging," she corrected.

Clint smirked and stood up straight. "Get dressed and let's go eat. I'm starving and I know you must be too."

Rory walked into the cafeteria behind Clint and was met with organized chaos. Everyone was dressed either in skin-tight navy blue suits or white doctor's coats. They moved around from here to there quickly, like worker bees in a hive. And there she stood in her torn up blue jeans and her mom's old Elton John shirt looking like a fish out of water.

"C'mon. This way," the archer directed her. He led her throw the food line, showed her where the drinks were at and then over to a table crowded with people. Agents, she assumed.

She heard a lot of "Oh, is this her?" and "What's up with the ginger?" as she took the seat next to Clint at the table. He smiled and introduced her but her focus was more on observing everyone surrounding her.

Rory was so focused she didn't hear him saying her name right away. "Rory? Ya there, kid?"

"Huh? Sorry, yeah. What's up?"

Everyone laughed. "They wanted to know how old you are," he told her.

She gave a shy smile and said, "Twenty-two."

"The least you could do is tell her everyone's names, Barton," someone called from behind them.

Rory turned and caught sight of a beautiful redheaded woman in a navy blue S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform. For a woman she was super intimidating with the way she held herself and spoke.

"Shall I start with you first then?" Clint inquired. The woman nodded. "Rory, this is Agent Natasha Romanoff. Nat, this is Rory Storms."

The two women shook hands before Clint turned and announced everyone else's names.

"You're such a tiny thing. What would HYDRA want with someone like you?" one man, Reynolds, asked.

Before she could answer, Clint explained, "She may be tiny but she writes like she's a six-foot-something beast who isn't afraid of anything. Her news articles on HYDRA are why she got snatched up."

"Must have been terrifying for someone with no training in fighting or torture," Blackwell, the woman to her right, stated.

Once again Clint was the one to speak. "Sure it was but she was only there for one night. I got to her before anything serious happened. We're lucky Fury had such a close eye on her whereabouts."

"Yes, so lucky," Rory mumbled under her breath.

"What was that, kid?" Clint asked sternly.

She looked up at the people near her and spoke louder, "I said it was so lucky that Fury was stalking my every move. I mean it's the least he could do since he put my life in danger and didn't even tell me until after the fact."

"Sometimes ya gotta take a risk to get ahead in life," Natasha commented.

"Fury's got a lot more people to worry about than just you. If he had to choose between saving the world and saving you, he'd always pick saving the world," Clint added.

"Anyways…" Reynolds started.

"Yeah, so tell us Rory, how did you score Captain America as your bodyguard while you're hidden away at the cabin?" Blackwell questioned.

She stared at her confused for a moment and then recalled Fury asking Clint to "bring someone in".

"Uhhh…I don't know. Fury didn't even mention it yesterday when he was questioning me," Rory confessed. "What's so special about this guy anyways? Besides him being Captain America?"

They all busted out laughing. She could have even sworn she saw a few people whip tears out of their eyes.

"He was the world's first superhero," one said

"He's the nicest guy I've ever met, and I know a lot of people," said another.

"Plus he's totally gorgeous," Natasha chimed in.

For a moment it seemed like her future was a little bit brighter knowing just a few meaningless pieces of information on her soon-to-be housemate. But the moment passed and she reminded herself how she ended up in this mess.

"I don't care who this guy is or how nice and attractive he is. If Fury thinks he can just lock me up in a cabin and throw away the key, he's wrong," Rory let them know. She picked up her tray of food, deciding she was no longer hungry, and stood from the table. Just as she was about to turn and leave, she ran straight into something rock-hard.

Her uneaten breakfast was smeared all over her shirt and neck. She was about to go off on the person when she peered up and saw the blond hair and blue eyes that belonged to none other than Captain America himself. Unable to process anything, Rory stood there like an idiot gawking at him.

"You must be Rory," he greeted, trying to contain his laughter. "Steve Rogers, pleased to meet you ma'am.'

* * *

 **So there's that chapter, lovelies. I hope you liked it and continue to read. I hope to have the next chapter up this weekend. Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. Feel free to REVIEW! I love hearing from you guys. Thanks :D -KAITi**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey there! Here's chapter 3. The next chapter will pick up right where this one ends because I'm currently debating whether or not to start a completely new Captain America story. I just don't want to have too many stories that I can't keep updated, but my hands have been itching to start the new one since the idea popped into my head...**

 **Anyways...A HUGE thanks to those who have followed/favorited the story so far. You guys rock! And thanks to everyone simply here to read and have a good time (I hope you guys are having a good time?). Hats off to you all as well.**

 **On we go...**

 **Disclaimer: Dis Marvel stuff es no mine :(**

* * *

 **Chapter 3:Cabin**

 **S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters**

 **7:30 hours**

 **July 9, 2014**

Rory stood there completely dumbfounded staring at the most gorgeous man she had ever laid eyes on. She could feel herself becoming ditzy more and more with each second that ticked by; the attraction was undeniable. The last thing she wanted to do was start twirling her hair around her finger and talking like a total blond, especially since she already looked ridiculous with food all over her.

Out of nowhere she felt a nudge against the back of her thigh from Clint. Suddenly she remembered that he had introduced himself and, in turn, she should do the same.

"Uhhh…The…uhhh…The pleasure is all mine, Captain," she stammered and mentally slapped herself for sounding like an idiot.

He smiled. She felt her heart melt and her knees go weak. _Come on woman! Get yourself together,_ she scolded herself. _He probably has hundreds of girls fawn over him every day. Do you really want to be another one of those silly bimbos?_

"Please, just Steve," he insisted. "After all we are going to be seeing an awful lot of each other."

"Okay."

She knew she needed to get away from him fast before she made an even bigger fool of herself. "I…uhh…should go clean myself up."

Before anyone could say anything, Rory fled back to the safety of her room. She slammed the door shut and fell back against it trying to catch her breath. Once she could breathe normally she stripped out of her pajamas and headed for the shower. She scrubbed off the dried eggs and oatmeal from her neck and tried to put the heated thoughts of America's Super Soldier out of her mind.

A sigh escaped her as she shut off the water. She grabbed the towel off the rack above the toilet, wrapped it around herself and went to get dressed. As she turned the corner she was greeted by Natasha laying on the bed and flipping through channels on the TV.

"Oh my god!" Rory yelped, not expecting anyone to be in the room. She scrambled back around by the bathroom, nearly losing her towel along the way. "What the hell are you doing in here?"

She didn't take her eyes off the TV and shrugged. "Director Fury sent me to collect you."

"Where's Clint? And collect me? For what?" Rory asked the agent.

"Clint's on a new mission. I'm here to take you to the truck. It's time to go to the cabin?" Natasha explained and stood from the bed.

She walked back towards the bedroom area and shot the redhead an "Are you serious?" look. "I have to pack still…and get dressed."

"I've already packed your things and left you clothes to wear now," she said, gesturing to the neat stack of clothes in front of a small red suitcase.

"Man you guys really have no sense of personal boundaries, do you?" Rory questioned and retrieved her clean clothes off the bed. She dressed quickly.

Natasha was already standing by the door with the suitcase ready to roll. She stepped out of the bathroom, grabbed the handle on the suitcase and followed the agent out of the room and towards the garage.

The bright morning sun shined through the openings in the garage and reflected off the various black Jeeps and cars stored there. Standing out like a sore thumb among them was a brand new blue Ford F-150 pickup. Director Fury and Steve stood next to it talking quietly with serious faces.

 _Probably telling him how to keep me locked up and under control,_ Rory thought. _I'm sure good ole dad told them about all of my moves._

She smiled mischievously and thought back on all the times she sneaked out of her father's apartment in New York City as a teenager. It was never to go out and party or meet up with good-for-nothing boys; she simple did it to make him angry.

"Ah, Ms. Storms, glad you could join us," he greeted. "Though I suppose a shower was needed after that catastrophe at breakfast."

She glared at him for a moment, but then smiled and said, "I would have showered faster had I known it meant leaving this place sooner."

They all stared at her, shocked by the sudden bout of sass aimed at the director.

"Well, if you're so ready to leave, by all means, get in," the one-eyed man gestured toward the truck. Steve came up and lifted her suitcase into the backseat before jumping in the driver's seat. She noticed his old motorcycle was strapped into the bed of the truck as she walked around to the passenger side.

Rory pictured him straddling it and waiting for her to hop on. She'd be nervous at first but once her arms wrapped around his waist, all of her nerves would vanish. The bike would roar to life and she would squeeze him tight as they took off down the road. Just thinking about the rumbling of the bike as she sat behind her turned her on.

Shaking her head, Rory climbed up into the front seat and blushed when she saw Steve watching her.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Mmm-hmm," she nodded.

He threw the car in drive and exited the garage. The sun was so bright out that she had to squint just to see outside the truck. It had been days since she had seen such brilliant light. Yesterday when they had landed the sky was completely overcast. Before that she had been locked in a room with no windows.

Steve noticed her squinting and handed her a pair of black sunglasses that had been tucked inside the center console. He put on his own pair of Aviator glasses, instantly reminding Rory of Mr. Rathmore. She shuttered and turned her focus on the view outside her window. She wondered if the creepy man with the scar was out there somewhere looking for her. Perhaps he already knew where they were heading and were there waiting for them? She shook her head and drew her knees up to her chest.

"You alright there, Rory?" Steve asked.

"Uhh, yeah. How long until we get there?"

He clicked on the touchscreen in the center of the dashboard where a GPS popped up. "Says it'll be about nine hours, probably a little longer if we stop here and there to use the bathroom or stretch."

"Oh, okay," she replied and then remained silent.

They didn't say a word to each other for a good three hours. Watching the miles and miles of trees and mountains were making Rory sleepy. She was teetering on the edge of sleep when Steve took an exit for a rest stop.

He parked and turned to look at her. "Do you need to use the restroom?"

She shook her head, laid her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. Even with her eyes shut, she could feel him staring at her, analyzing her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Rory opened one eye, glanced at him and closed it. "Nope."

"Out with it. You've been acting strange since I put these on," he said and pointed to his sunglasses. "You might not have seen me looking through the dark tint on these babies, but I saw you get all tense."

"I just don't like them," she answered quietly.

He took off the sunglasses and placed them back in the center console. "Fine, I won't wear them anymore. It would be nice, though, to know the real reason I can't wear them."

They sat there in silence for a long moment; Steve waiting for her to speak up, and Rory determined not to spill anything.

"When I woke up from being frozen in that ice for all those years, I was scared. Everything around me was new and I was a man out of his time. Slowly I got used to living in this century, but it was still hard. I would see things that would remind me of my past, of the people I left behind, and it would make me sad. I found it was easier to cope by having people to lean on and listen. There's nothing I can do to change it, just have to move on," he told her.

He opened his door and slid out. She watched him walk to the restrooms and then dropped her gaze to her lap. She didn't know why she was reacting so intensely about the kidnapping—it's not like anything serious happened. They beat her up a little on the way to Belize, then starved her and demanded some information, but it wasn't nearly as bad as she had seen it happen to people on the news.

Rory didn't notice him approaching the truck until the door swung open, startling her. He slipped back into the seat and rested his forearms on the top of the steering wheel, looking out the windshield.

She inhaled deeply and began, "I don't like the sunglasses because one of the men behind my kidnapping wore a pair just like them. He never hurt me; he just wanted to know things about the articles I wrote for the _New York Post_. He was just creepy and seeing those triggered memories of him."

She fell quiet and glanced over at him to see his reaction, but he was still gazing out the window with a blank expression. Steve remained silent as he backed up and continued on the way to the cabin.

"You're not going to say anything else?" she asked and then waited a second for him to respond. He stayed quiet. "After that personal speech you gave and me finally spilling the beans, you don't want to say something?"

It was another few minute or so before he muttered, "HYRDA will be stopped...for good this time. I'll make sure of it."

For an instance she could see Captain America shine through. She could see the soldier, the hero that had saved so many and sacrificed so much. The stern jaw, the way his arm muscles rippled as he gripped the steering wheel tighter; it was sexy to say the least.

The remainder of the drive was uneventful with some small talk about current events here and there. They stopped a few more times along the way but were trying to get to the cabin as fast as possible. Nine hours on the road was tough and they were both exhausted.

It was a relief when they finally got close. The long, winding backroads made it feel like they would never arrive at their destination. The road leading to the cabin was so small and hard to see that Steve almost drove right past it.

The road up to the cabin was a bumpy rollercoaster ride. She was happy when the sight of a quaint little log cabin came into view. The truck came to a halt and she hopped down from the seat as Steve grabbed their things from the backseat. When they stepped on the porch the touchscreen to the right of the door came to life.

Steve waved his ID across it and a British voice addressed them. "Hello, Captain Rogers."

"Evening, Jarvis," he responded. "Mind letting us in?"

"Of course, Captain. I assume Ms. Storms is with you?" the AI inquired.

The door made a clicking noise that sounded like a lock turning and Steve gave it a gentle push. "Yes, she is."

"Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Storms. I am Jarvis and I run the house—that is the technological aspects. If you need anything, simply ask," it introduced itself.

"You're Tony Stark's artificial intelligence system, aren't you?" Rory questioned, looking up at the ceiling where the voice was coming from.

Steve set their belongings down just inside the door and began roaming about the house. She shut the door and stood awkwardly just inside it not knowing what to do.

"Indeed I am. I was installed here just before Captain Rogers's first stay," Jarvis explained.

Rory's eyes fell and searched for Steve. He was coming out of the bathroom whipping his freshly-washed hands with a small towel. He threw the towel on the kitchen counter and turned to her with a smile.

"You've been here before?" she asked him.

Steve nodded, crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the edge of the counter. "They brought me here after I woke up in New York a few years ago. Said they wanted me somewhere remote so I could learn how to live in this century. I was here for a few months and then had to leave when all that stuff with the aliens happened. It's looks a little different, though."

"Director Fury requested some changes," Jarvis chimed in. "For instance; the new sofa converts into a bed and a new alarm system has been installed."

Steve gave a confused look. "What was wrong with the old alarm system?"

"It was tragically destroyed when Agent Skye was here," Jarvis answered.

"Who's Agent Skye?" Rory inquired, moving to sit on the couch.

"She's an agent with an incredibly destructive ability," Steve replied. "Jarvis, can you let Fury know we arrived?"

"Of course."

The room fell silent until the soldier started rummaging through the kitchen. He began setting food out on the counter closest to Rory while whistling some old-timey tune.

"You cook?" she examined.

"I had to when I was growing up. Before I looked like this, I was this scrawny, asthmatic kid who couldn't keep up with everyone else my age. So I stayed in most of the time and my mom taught me how to cook," he divulged as he placed pots and pans on the stove and got to cooking. "When my mom got sick I was the one who kept us fed. Then she died and I was on my own until I joined the army and became Captain America."

She cleared her throat and whispered, "I'm sorry."

He glanced over at her and gave a sad smile. "It was a long time ago."

Deciding to change the topic, Rory announced, "I think I'll go take a shower before dinner."

Standing from the couch, she retrieved her bag and headed to the bathroom. She shut the door just as the tears started falling. Hearing Steve talk so fondly of his mother had reminded her of the screwed up family she was born into. She would do anything to have just one good memory like the ones he had with his mother.

Rory bent over the sink and stared at her crying reflection in the mirror. Shaking her head and whipping her eyes, she stripped out of her clothes determined to wash away the haunting memories.

* * *

 **So that's that, folks. Let me know if you have an interest in reading the new story. Just a little tidbit about it: it centers around a girl who accidentally gets knocked up by Captain America. If no one is interested now, I'll just put it off until this story is closer to being done.**

 **Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. I did comb through this one before posting, but I might have still missed some. Thanks for reading! Until next time. -KAITi**


	4. Chapter 4

**HI! I'm just here dropping off the latest chapter. It's slowly starting to build up to something really romantic...I just have to figure out what it's going to be and how it's going to go down. Also, as soon as I post this, I am going to start writing the first chapter in my new Captain America fanfic. I don't know what it's going to be called yet, but I'll make sure to put the title in the next post. You can always check my page and look it up there. THANKS to everyone who's followed/favorited/reviewed! You guys keep me writing. And thanks to everyone for reading.**

 **On we go...**

 **Disclaimer: Captain Steve Rogers and the rest of the bunch are not mine. Rory is the only one I can claim.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Embarrassed**

 **Cabin**

 **18:00 hours**

 **July 9, 2014**

The smell of food was what drew Rory out of the shower and into the kitchen. She walked out to the sight of Steve in a blue apron with a dish towel slung over his shoulder. He was busy setting the food out on the table.

"I didn't think you were ever going to come out of there," he said, his focus still on setting the table.

She laughed, "If I would have known you were going to put that on, I wouldn't have even bothered with a shower."

He looked up at her and gave her bright smile. They stood there like that for a moment smiling at each other.

Steve cleared his throat and gestured to the meal he had made. "It's spaghetti. I hope that's alright."

"Yeah, I love spaghetti."

They sat down across from each other at the tiny dining room table and dug in. It was silent for a few minutes as they ate, but it wasn't an awkward silence.

"This is really good, Steve," Rory complimented.

"Thank you. It was my favorite thing to make…before. Since I've been back, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s been supplying me with pre-made food. Even when I had my apartment in D.C. before HYDRA destroyed everything, my fridge would be stocked with meals in little plastic tubs someone had made for me. This is the first time I've been able to truly cook," he explained.

She nodded and took another delicious bite. "I never learned how to cook. I know how to make basic stuff like toast and microwave meals, but nothing like this. We had a chef that made all of our meals."

"Your family's rich?" he asked.

"My father is rich," she said with disgust. "He's a senator in New York—been in politics his whole life. And his family has old money. They were one of the richest families in New York City back in the day."

"Like in _The Great Gatsby_?"

"Exactly," I exclaimed. "I bet they walked around calling everyone 'old sport' and everything."

They laughed.

"What was it like growing up back then?" she questioned.

"It was a completely different world, different people…different values. We didn't have to worry about technology getting in the way; we could just go out and explore everything for ourselves. Everyone was united, fighting against a common enemy. Now people are so busy fighting each other that they can't seem to come together to do anything." He paused and took a drink of his water before continuing, "When I went down, the world was at war. I wake up, they say we won. They didn't say what we lost."

"You miss it," she stated.

He nodded. "I'm not saying there aren't great things about this time. Modern medicine is definitely a huge perk. DVRs are nice, too."

"You know how to use a DVR?" Rory asked and chuckled.

"I was stuck in this cabin by myself for months. There wasn't much else to do but watch TV and read. I'm pretty caught up on popular stuff."

"Have you watched _Doctor Who_?" He shook his head. "Well then you aren't caught up on _all_ the popular stuff."

"What's it about?" he inquired.

She stood and collected their empty plates, taking them to the sink. "Time travel."

"Sounds interesting," he replied. Steve stood from the table and moved to the couch.

"You have no idea," she said and sat down next to him. "Jarvis, can you bring up _Doctor Who_ season 1 on Netflix? I'm about to introduce the Captain to a whole new world…or worlds, I guess."

The show started up and they watched episode after episode well into the night. Rory was happy to see that Steve seemed to be getting into it. Exhaustion began creeping into her bones about halfway through the fourth episode. After the fifth, she finally gave in and drifted off next to the soldier on the couch.

 **Cabin**

 **3:00 hours**

 **July 10, 2014**

The urge to pee woke Rory from a sensual dream about a certain man with blond hair and a smile that could charm the pants off of the Queen of England. Rubbing the gunk out of her eyes, she noticed she was in a bed in a room she didn't recognize.

 _What the hell?_ She wondered. _How in God's name did I get in here?_

She thought back to earlier. The last thing she recalled was being on the couch with Steve—.

She groaned. He had carried her to bed after she'd fallen asleep. _How embarrassing,_ she thought.

Crawling out from under the tangle of blankets, Rory quietly sneaked from her room to the bathroom. She quickly relieved herself and headed back. Right before opening the door to the bedroom, she caught a glimpse of Steve passed out on the couch. He was naked from the waist up and sprawled out on his back gently snoring. His blond hair was ruffled and the white sheet covering the remainder of him didn't leave much to the imagination.

The desire to wander closer struck Rory and she fought it with everything she had in her. Steve looked so peaceful, so pure. There was no sign of the tough soldier that was present when he was awake.

She stood there watching him for a short while. Only when he turned on his side facing her did she scrabble back into her bedroom afraid he would catch her if she stayed any longer.

 **Cabin**

 **8:00 hours**

 **July 10, 2014**

Rory smelled bacon the instant she woke in the morning. She licked her lips and ran out of the bedroom.

Her plate was piled high with bacon, eggs and toast when she sat down at the table. Just as she was about to start eating, she spotted a note leaning against the small flower vase in front of her.

 _Rory,_

 _Went for a run. Be back soon._

 _-Steve_

Rory smiled ** _._** She had the place to herself for a little while.

When she finished her breakfast, Rory grabbed some new clothes from her room and headed to the bathroom to change out of her pajamas, wanting to look presentable for when Steve returned—not like some troll that just rolled out of bed.

She tamed her unruly auburn curls into a ponytail, washed her face and brushed her teeth while humming _Tiny Dancer_. As she was getting dressed she discovered she was missing her clean shirt. Figuring it was either still in her room or had fallen somewhere on the way to the bathroom, Rory went in search of it.

She opened the door, turned the corner and froze. Directly in front of her stood Steve, shirtless and glistening with sweat holding her shirt in his hand. He looked up at her and his eyes went wide causing her to look down to see what he was staring at. She was instantly mortified to find herself standing in front of Captain freaking America in nothing but her matching lacy green bra and panties.

"Oh, shit!" she screeched and ran towards the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Not even a second later there was a soft knock on the door. She cracked the door open and peeked out.

"Your shirt," Steve said and held it out to her.

She wedged her arm out the door and took it from him. "Right…thanks."

Rory sat on her bed after putting her shirt on and tried to calm herself down. She couldn't believe she had just bumped into Steve half-naked! It was completely embarrassing.

 _Has he even seen a woman in so little clothes before?_ She wondered. _Probably not until just now._

She sighed. _First dumping breakfast all over myself, now this…Way to go, Storms._

There had been a second, though, where she had sworn she saw lust in his eyes. Thinking about it made her skin hot and her thoughts fuzzy. He was so damn sexy and it was driving her crazy. She knew that in the coming weeks it was only going to get worse. It was only day two and he had already seen her practically naked. What was going to happen next? How was she going to survive living with such an attractive guy so close by?

Rory was doomed; she had been since she first laid eyes on him and there was nothing she could do. She certainly couldn't hide out in her room until Fury decided it was safe for them to go home.

Another sigh escaped her as she slid off the bed and went to face Captain America, praying that it wouldn't be too awkward because of her mishap.

* * *

 **Hooray! I hope you guys enjoyed it. I'll be updating again soon :) Thanks so much for reading!**

 **Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. My puppy was walking all over me and the keyboard when I was typing. I tried to catch them all, but I might have missed a couple. Oops.**

 **Thanks again! Until next time -KAITi**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi, folks. WOW! It's been a crazy day in my household. This chapter is in honor of two things: My brother's engagement and the announcement that he and his fiance are expecting. I'm gonna be an aunt, guys! I know it's a lot shorter than the other chapters but my brain is still recovering from all the excitement. I hope you all still enjoy it. THANKS to all who have followed/favorited/reviewed! And thanks for reading :)**

 **On we go...**

 **Disclaimer: You know the drill- not mine...blah, blah, blah**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The Calm Before the Storm(s)**

 **Cabin**

 **8:45 hours**

 **July 10, 2014**

What did you say to someone who just saw you practically naked? Rory had no idea. She tried to come up with a semi-funny way to start a conversation about what had taken place. Everything she thought of, though, would only make it even more awkward.

She cracked open the bedroom door and peeked into the living area to see if he was still there. He sat with his back to her on the couch watching old reruns of _I Love Lucy_. Rory pulled back the door all the way and inched out of the room. She got about halfway to the couch and changed course, heading for the kitchen to pretend she was in search of something to drink.

As quietly as possible, she grabbed the apple juice from the fridge and poured herself a good-sized glass full. She didn't want to blatantly stare at him to see what he was doing, so she took a series of quick glimpses and noticed him watching her from the corner of his eye.

Neither of them wanted to break the silence first, which resulted in them remaining where they were and trying to observe one another without being caught.

Rory figured she'd let it go a while longer and went back to her room. She picked out a book and sprawled out on her bed to read for the rest of the morning.

Sometime between the third and fourth chapter, she fell asleep reading. A soft knock roused her.

"Rory? I made some lunch if you're hungry," Steve informed her from the other side of the door.

She didn't respond but got up and wandered to the dining table where the food was located. They sat across from each other and ate without exchanging words.

 _How can you possibly live in a house with the sexiest guy on the planet and not talk to him?_ She scolded herself. _Make a move, woman!_

"Thanks for the food," she said.

He glanced up at her and smiled. "I had to figure out a way to get you out of that room."

She stared at him with her mouth hanging open. Who knew Captain America could be a devious bastard.

"Smooth move, Captain, playing on a girl's empty stomach," she laughed. "And about earlier, I'm sorry. I would _not_ have come out if I had known you were back from your run."

"No harm done," he smirked. "It's not like I've never seen a half-naked dame before."

She gaped at him in shock. "You—you've…I mean, really?"

Steve chuckled at her reaction and explained, "I may be an old geezer, but I've lived and seen things back in my day. Just because I was born in the forties doesn't mean I'm a complete prude."

"I—that's not what I was getting at, my mind simply can't process you ogling at naked girls," she replied.

"I'm a guy. Aren't we expected to 'ogle' girls?" he asked.

She took a sip of her water and thought on how to answer his question. "I guess I don't see you as a guy…NO! That's not what I meant!" she stammered and tried to find the right words. "I meant that you aren't like normal guys. Today guys aren't as respectful or courteous as the men from back in the day. It's all about finding a hot chick with a banging body to have sex with and impressing all their buddies with their conquests."

He placed his elbows on the table, laced his finger and leaned his chin on top. "I'm definitely not like that."

"I'm glad we've got everything established. I'm not a floozy that likes to walk around scantily clad and you're not a douche," she remarked.

They finished their lunch and curled up on the couch to continue watching more _Doctor Who._

"So what was with you carrying me to bed last night?" she questioned, keeping her focus on the TV.

He glanced at her for a split second and answered, "You were passed out on top of my bed. I had to move you so I could go to sleep."

"You could have just woke me up and told me to beat it."

"You were out cold. It didn't seem right to wake you up. It's not like you were heavy or anything," he countered.

She pinched his arm playfully and joked, "Darn right I wasn't heavy, Super Soldier."

They laughed for a moment before a chiming noise rang through the room.

"What in the world is that?" Rory inquired.

Steve scanned the room looking for the source of the sound. "I don't—."

Jarvis interrupted them, "Ms. Storms, your father is requesting a video chat with you on the desktop."

"Shit," she whispered and told Jarvis to accept his request. As she moved to the computer desk she let the anger build determined to let her father know exactly how she felt.

* * *

 **Oh look at that tiny cliff you guys are hanging off. Tune in to the next chapter to see what goes down with Rory and her dad. I feel a storm coming XD That never gets old. Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. Let me know what you thought. I'll update soon, I promise. Thanks! -KAITi**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello my beautiful readers! Here's the next chapter. I don't think I mentioned it in the last post, but my new Captain America story is up! It's called 'The Violinist'. Anyways, THANKS for all the follows/favorites/reviews! And thanks for reading.**

 **On we go...**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing Marvel.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Daddy Issues**

 **Cabin**

 **9:45 hours**

 **July 10, 2014**

The screen lit up as the video chat popped up. An older man with his graying hair swept back and a scowl glared at her.

"Aurora?" he asked leaning forward as if he wasn't sure she could see him. Rory fought the urge to wince at the use of her given name.

"Sir," she replied, confirming the connection was working.

"I see you've made it to the cabin safely. Good, I'm glad that you are no longer in harm's way," he stated. Rory rolled her eyes at his failed attempt at caring.

She held her anger back, waiting for the right moment, and replied, "Yes, sir, we got here yesterday afternoon."

"And Captain Rogers is with you?" She nodded. "I don't see why Director Fury insisted he join you. HYDRA can't possibly be that intent on finding you."

That was it; the comment that would set her off.

"You weren't the one who was captured and held hostage by crazy people! You were just the one who went along with all of it! You let Director Fury manipulate you and use me for his own secret agenda! I was the one who could've been killed, the one who could still be killed, because of you!" Rory paused and took a deep breath. She exhaled, calming slightly and continued, "So don't you act like this isn't a big deal."

"Oh, please, Aurora. Don't be so dramatic," he chided.

She snorted and shook her head in disbelief. "It's always the same shit with you, isn't it? You did this to mom too when she first got sick. Do you remember? She was constantly tired and throwing up and you thought she was just being…what was it...Ah, yes, a 'lazy, good-for-nothing bitch'. It wasn't three months later that she was dead and the doctor's said she could have had a chance if they'd caught it sooner."

"Are you insinuating that I'm the reason she's dead?"

"Yes. And you're the reason I came close to dying. You have no regard for anyone else's wellbeing except your own," she admitted.

Her father gave a huff. "I don't have to sit here and be spoken to like this from my own daughter."

"Fine, I've said what I wanted to. And, as for me being your daughter, you can forget you ever had one. You've never been a father to me; you were simply a sperm donor for my mother who showed up when he had nothing better to do," she snapped. "Now, if you don't mind, I have just about anything else to be doing but this."

Rory clicked the 'end call' button with more force than was necessary and spun the chair towards Steve. She sighed heavily, running her hand through her ponytail. Her eyes were glued to the floor as she tried to digest what had just happened.

"Rory?" Steve called to her quietly.

Everything was sinking in. _Did I really just do that? Disown my father, my last living relative?_ She pondered, ignoring Steve.

She was alone in the world; no mother, no father, no anyone. It was terrifying but, just as equally, freeing. It gave her the opportunity to go anywhere and be anything she wanted—after this whole ordeal was over, of course. She could finally be the writer she wanted to be, not the journalist her father forced her to be.

"Rory?" Steve said louder.

Her head whipped up, her eyes locking with his. "Do you want to go for a walk?" she asked, her words coming out rapidly. "We can do that sort of thing, right? We're not stuck in here like caged animals?"

He gave her a weird look and told her, "No, we can go for a walk. We just have to stay inside the perimeter."

Rory ran into her room and changed quickly. Steve alerted Jarvis that they were leaving the house and they set out.

The morning air was cool, leaving goosebumps on her bare arms, as he guided them to a path at the edge of the tree line. The sun was still relatively low and it was nice not to have it shining in their eyes. Steve walked beside her, their arms lightly touching as the forest swallowed them up.

Rory felt more and more peaceful and free the farther from the cabin she got. They walked for almost an hour when, Rory lost in her own world and Steve whistling a tune, when he grabbed her arm and turned her.

"Look," he said and pointed to something in front of them. She gasped, taken back by the beauty of a small waterfall dropping into a tiny pond. The path ran close enough to the water that the mist of the waterfall coated their exposed skin. It was refreshing in the warming summer day.

Rory smiled up at Steve. She took his hand and gently tugged on it, moving towards the water. "C'mon!"

Releasing his hand, she ran like a little kid to the water's edge, slipped off her flip flop and dipped her toes in. It had a slight chill but nothing she couldn't handle. Spotting a large flat boulder a little ways up the cliff side that was perfect for jumping from—she just hoped her acute fear of heights wouldn't make her chicken out in front of Mr. Super Soldier- she pulled off her other flip flop and started to climb.

Steve had just made it to the water by the time Rory was poised atop the boulder ready to jump. She shot him a huge grin and bent down, preparing to push off.

"Wait, Rory! You don't even know if it's deep enough to jump into!" he shouted from below.

She looked down at the water, fighting against the nerves in her stomach, and decided she didn't care. With the way her day had begun, Rory needed to let go and take a risk.

"I don't care," she exclaimed and leaped. She only got to scream for a second before plunging deep into the pond. It took her a second to reach the surface and locate Steve.

"How is it?" he asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and widened his stance.

Rory swam a little closer to him and replied, "Get in and find out, Captain."

He stood there for a moment eyeing her before pulling his shirt over his head, tossing on a nearby tree and climbing up to the landing she had jumped from. Even though she had seen Steve shirtless once before the sight of his sculpted chest and arms still made her tingle all over. She had the overwhelming urge to run her hands over every muscle until she had memorized ever dip and curve.

Rory was so enthralled in her own imagination that she didn't notice Steve vault off the boulder and cannonball into the water near her. A wave of water crashed into her bringing her back to reality.

A hearty laugh erupted from Steve causing her to splash him as payback. That only made him laugh harder.

"This is wonderful," he stated and laid back so he could float.

She let him float quietly for a few minutes before making her move. As stealthily as possible in the water, Rory swam to him and paused for a split second. Suddenly, she leapt on top of him, her hands pushing his chest down into the water, before hastily making her retreat.

He emerged from under the water with evil glare in his eyes. Without warning he rocketed towards her, eliciting a scream from her. She swam as fast as she could back to the shore but he was too quick. Steve wrapped his large hand around her ankle and tugged her back into the water. She gasped and laughed, trying to kick herself free. Finally she managed to worm her way out of his hold and scrambled up out of the water.

Rory stood and spun around to face him where he remained in the shallow part of the water. She smiled and jumped up and down feeling victorious. As her feet touched the ground, her left foot landed on a sharp rock, slicing the bottom of her foot. Falling to the ground, she let out a cry and Steve raced to her side. He cradled her injured foot in his hand and inspected the cut. It was about an inch in length and was bleeding pretty badly.

"Ouch," she winced.

"Sorry," he apologized. "This is kind of deep. We should head back and get this wrapped up."

She nodded and let him help her up. Taking a step forward, she gasped and nearly fell again. Steve caught her arm and pulled her against him. He swung her up in his arms and retrieved his shirt before setting off down the path back towards the cabin.

The feel of his muscles flexing with each step he took sent a shiver running down her spine. Heat coursed through her starting where their bodies met and spreading out from there. She rested her head against his bare shoulder and listened to his steady heartbeat. He squeezed his arms around her and then relaxed them.

Rory was on the brink of falling asleep when the cabin came into view. After entering the log house Steve placed her on the kitchen counter and searched for the things he needed to care for her cut. He located it all swiftly and began gently cleaning and wrapping the wound.

"How bad is it?" she asked.

"Well," he started and stood, wiping his hands on his damp shorts. "There is a small chance we might have to cut it off."

His facial expression was dead serious but his eyes gave him away. She laughed and nudged his shoulder playfully.

"That might have been how they fixed things back in your day, soldier, but nowadays people like to keep their limbs intact," she explained. "But…it would be nice to have you carry me around everywhere if you chopped my foot off."

He chuckled. "I'm not going to carry you around. You're on your own, doll."

She blushed at his term of endearment and turned her face away so he wouldn't notice. "Wow. Gentleman my left butt cheek," she joked.

Rory hopped off the counter and started hobbling in the direction of her room.

"What are you doing?" Steve questioned from behind her.

"I'm going to my room on my own since someone doesn't want to carry me everywhere," she acted mad.

Out of nowhere she was scooped up into his arms and hustled into the bedroom. She giggled the whole way, which was almost enough to distract her from thinking about how sexy this whole moment was; Captain America picking her up and rushing her to bed. If only it was something more...fun rather than a tired girl with a silly foot injury ready for some sleep. He stopped at the edge of the bed and dropped her like a bag of sand. Landing with an 'oomph', she glared up with him and laid back against her pillows.

He winked at her and she shook her head, smiling. "You rest up and I'll go whip us up some lunch," he informed her.

She nodded. Steve exited and Rory closed her eyes ready for a nap. She hoped when she woke up she wouldn't feel so dumpy.

* * *

 **There you have it folks. A little drama, a little fluff. My big move is coming up in the next few chapters! Yay! (and by 'big move' I don't mean sex) If you guys want that read my other story. ;) Anyways, you know the deal with the spelling errors and whatnot. Sorry. Thanks for reading! Unitl next time. -KAITi**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey! Man, was this chapter hard to write. I had no idea where I wanted to go so I just kind of went with what my brain spat out. Sorry if it's not as good as the other chapters. OOoops. Anyways, this one is in Steve's point of view. A few of you were asking about how he was feeling about Rory and whatnot so this one's for you. The next post will most likely be half Steve, half Rory. THANKS SO MUCH to everyone who's favorited/followed/reviewed. And thanks to everyone that's reading!**

 **On we go...**

 **Disclaimer: Marvel. Not mine.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7:Just Hobbling Around**

 **Cabin**

 **2:00 hours**

 **July 10, 2014**

After leaving Rory's room, Steve changed his damp, pond-stenched clothes and went to make lunch. He decided to make sandwiches and a Caesar salad; his mind too busy to focus on something more complicated.

His world had gone from beating up bad guys to babysitting and Steve was still trying to adjust. The past twenty-four hours spent here at the cabin had been wonderful in his opinion. Sure, he loved saving the world but being a superhero that was constantly in the public eye got old. He had been sure before he joined the army and became Captain America, that it was what he wanted out of life—the chance to fight and save lives rather than waste away as an asthmatic orphan. Sometimes, though, he just wished he could be normal.

Steve finished making lunch and decided to wait for Rory to wake up so they could eat together. He sat down on the couch and turned on _Doctor Who_. There was something about the show that he truly enjoyed. Maybe it was the fact that the Doctor didn't like to use violence and guns to solve all of his problems, or maybe it was just the good-natured humor of it all.

It was a little after two-thirty when he heard movement in the bedroom. He jumped and waltzed into the room to give help Rory get to the dining table.

Her hair was rumpled and clothes askew from sleeping, which Steve thought was adorable. She looked up when he entered and smiled. "Ah, I was wondering when my ride would get here."

He laughed, "I'm sorry to make you wait, m'lady."

Rory's smile grew as she wrapped her arms around his neck and was lifted off the bed.

They situated themselves at the table and began eating. A comfortable silence fell over them as they ate.

"Tell me about HYDRA," Rory let slip. She glanced up at him quickly to see his stunned expression. "I—I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that."

He shook his head and said, "No, it's fine. You were kidnapped by them. It's only natural you would want to know more about them."

"I just figured you would know a bit more than everyone else, having fought against them and all," she clarified.

He took a sip of his water and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "They're ruthless, sneaky, power-hungry extremists. I've fought them twice and came close to death both times. I lost good people fighting to save the world from HYDRA. They're also the reason S.H.I.E.L.D. went under, but you knew that already." She nodded. "The first time they were led by Johann Schmidt, a Nazi agent who was trying to destroy the world. He captured opposing soldiers, one of which was my best friend Bucky, and that's when I took action. I managed to free them and escape Schmidt's compound before it blew up. We then went on to taking out all of the other HYDRA bases and it well for a while. We were getting it done. My team and I got orders to capture Schmidt's accomplice, Dr. Zola, and bring him in. Everything was going great until something…something very bad happened."

"What happened?"

"It's not important," he said, averting his eyes and shaking his head. "We stormed their headquarters a short time later and all hell broke loose. I ended up jumping onto Schmidt's plane, fighting him, winning and then winding up having to put the thing down before it made its way to the Eastern Seaboard. I was frozen, woke up decades later and ended up having to fight them a second time. You've probably got most of those details, though, from Fury."

Thinking about it all was making Steve forlorn. He wasn't ready to talk about Bucky or Peggy, even though he figured there was a good chance she already knew some of the details from the information the director had sent her.

Glancing up at her he noticed she was looking down at her lap and playing with her hands. Steve knew telling her all of this would make her even more scared, but she asked and he wasn't going to shield her from the truth. "Do—. You don't think they'll find me here, do you?"

He looked at her with sad eyes for a moment before hardening his face. "They won't find you. And even if they did, they'd have to go through me first. I won't let anything happen to you," he reassured her.

"Thanks," she said, giving him a weak smile.

He hated seeing her like this; nervous, scared, worried. Something in his chest tightened at the thought of HYDRA taking her again and he was certain, if they did, she wouldn't come out of it unscathed like last time—if she came out of it at all.

Clearing his throat, Steve stood from the table and started gathering the plates. He put them in the sink and made a mental note to wash them later.

"How's your foot?" he asked.

"Sore. I'd love to shower and get all the pond gunk off me but I don't think I can stand on it," she responded.

"I, uh…," he coughed and crossed his arms across his chest, looking down at the ground. "I could help you, if you wanted me to."

She thought about it for a moment and Steve held his breath waiting for her answer. He couldn't believe he had just offered to help her shower. Sure he was a gentleman and all…but seeing her naked? That was totally new territory for Steve Rogers. It made him kind of nervous, scared even. He was Captain America, for goodness sake! Nothing should scare him, especially a tiny, naked girl.

He shook his head and gazed back over at Rory. The soldier watched as a soft, pink blush crept into her cheeks.

"I think I'll pass on the shower and just take a bath," she decided. "Could you help me to my room and then to the bathroom?"

"Of course."

He walked over to where she sat and moved to pick her up. She placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him away gently, shaking her head. "No. I can walk kind of. Put your arm around me and support my bad side."

Doing as she said, Steve wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her stand from the table. She wobbled trying to get her footing and leaned more into Steve. He pushed away thoughts of how amazing her body felt against his and headed towards the bedroom.

After she had collected some clean clothes from her bag, they made their way into the bathroom. Rory told him to leave her on the edge of the tub and she could handle things from there. He was a bit apprehensive to leave her by herself but he figured she could shout if she needed him.

He closed the door behind her and wandered back over to the couch. _Doctor Who_ kept him entertained while he waited for her to finish her bath. It was just about a full episode later when he heard her call his name. Jumping up, he went to the door and knocked before entering.

"You can come in, Steve. I'm dressed. Just need help getting out of here," she laughed.

They shuffled to the couch and sat down.

"We should re-bandage your foot," he said and hopped up to get the supplies he had used earlier. Settling back down next to her, he moved her foot so that it rested on top of his thigh and gently cared for it. "There, all done," he announced.

He set the gauze and antibiotic ointment on the end table and turned back to her. A smile crossed his face as he took in the sight of her asleep next to him. Steve grabbed the throw off the back of the couch and carefully slung it over her legs. He sat back and got comfortable letting his hand rest gingerly on top of her ankle where it still rested on his thigh. The show resumed playing and Steve eventually drifted off to the sound of the TARDIS whirring in the background.

* * *

 **So now we know a bit of what Steve's got going on in that beautiful mind of his. Like I said, the next chapter will be split between the two. And guys, THE FLUFF IS COMING. Yay! Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. THanks for reading, my wonderful readers. Until next time. -KAITi**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello my lovely readers! Here's the latest chapter. Man this week has been crazy busy and I'm soooo happy I got this up today. School will be starting soon so I won't be updating as much but I'm going to try my hardest. THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the follows/favorites/reviews! AMAZING.**

 **On we go...**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing Marvel.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Jam Session**

 **Cabin**

 **7:30 hours**

 **July 11, 2014**

Steve woke early the next morning to the smell of vanilla all around him. Curly red hair tickled the underside of his chin. It was then that he took notice of Rory tucked snuggly against his chest. His body tensed for a moment when the thought of her waking up and finding them like this popped into his head. How would she react?

Not wanting to chance a bad reaction, Steve tried to get up. He felt confined by something and looked down towards his feet to see a slender leg slung over his hip. Heat spread through his body and he became hyperaware of everywhere their bodies touched. Nervous butterflies fluttered in his stomach. He hadn't felt this way since Peggy. It was thrilling and scary at the same time.

It was impossible to maneuver his way off the couch without waking her so Steve decided to pretend he was sleeping until she woke up and discovered their current situation.

* * *

As Rory slowly came to consciousness, she instantly became aware of that she was pressed up against something warm and solid. And that that something was breathing. She cracked her eyes open and was face-to-face with a very familiar blue cotton shirt. The realization that she was sleeping curled up with Captain America on the couch hit her and she nearly fell off the couch in shock.

Being there, flush against him was the best feeling in the world. She felt safe, finally, for the first time since her kidnapping. Not to mention the fact that he was super-hot and she had been daydreaming about this since she had first laid eyes on him.

Rory chanced a glance up at his face to see if he was awake and was enormously happy to see his eyes were closed. Wanting to make absolutely sure before attempting to escape his glorious hold, she snaked her hand up to his face and quickly poked his cheek.

His eyes remained shut but a bright smile crossed his face. "How did you know I was faking?" he asked.

"Just a nagging suspicion. I didn't want to be the reason you woke up," she explained.

"Me either," he admitted. "I woke up about twenty minutes ago and couldn't get off the couch without having to move you."

Only then did she realize that her leg had wound up on top of his and was holding him hostage on the couch. Feeling self-conscious, she pulled her leg down onto her other one and went back to gazing at his chest.

He laughed and the vibrations rang through her body causing pulses of pleasure to course through her. She knew if she didn't escape fast, she would lose all of her control and do something stupid.

"I uhhh…have to use the bathroom," she informed him, leapt off the couch and half-ran, half-stumbled out of the room.

* * *

 **Cabin**

 **12:00 hours**

 **August 2, 2014**

It had been three weeks since she had ran into that bathroom and they hadn't spoken of that morning since. Part of her wanted to desperately, but the other part knew that venturing into romantic territory with Captain America would have a lot of baggage. On both sides. She tried to rationalize and convince herself that she wanted to jump his bones because they had been around each other constantly for just shy of a month. In truth, though, Rory knew it was much more than just that.

Despite their awkward moment a few weeks ago, the two housemates had been having a wonderful time in each other's company. They had succeeded in making it through six seasons of _Doctor Who_ , played every board game Dr. Banner had stashed away at the cabin and went on a couple more walks once her foot had healed. It didn't feel like they were hiding out anymore, but that they were two people on an extended vacation in the middle of nowhere.

Most mornings when she woke up, Steve was gone on a run and wouldn't return until around two in the afternoon. He always left her breakfast sitting on the table every morning. Sometimes fresh flowers would find their way into the vase at the center of the table and it never failed to make her smile.

This particular morning she was in an extra good mood for some unknown reason. She had slept in a lot longer than she normally did and it felt nice. Checking the clock, she decided she should hop in the shower before Steve returned.

"Jarvis, can you turn on some music. Something I can dance and sing to. Make sure it's loud," she questioned as she undressed and turned the water on. A huge grin formed on her face as the Backstreet Boys blasted out of the speakers.

As she washed herself, she danced and sang at the top of her lungs like she didn't have a care in the world. Jarvis played a mix of songs, all of which she loved, ranging from Elton John to The 1975.

Rory was singing a very raunchy Chase Rice song as she threw on her tank top and panties. She slung the bathroom door open with pizazz and strutted out into the living area; her eyes closed and voice trying to mimic the deep, sexual nature of the singer's voice. Pausing at the climax of the song, Rory belted it with her foot tapping along to the beat.

The entire time she was singing the lyrics she tried not to picture Steve and her doing all the things hot things the song mentions. She was failing miserably and it was definitely turning her on.

The sound of the front door shutting threw off her groove and she panicked. She slowly opened her eyes to see and amused Steve standing there watching her with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Please tell me you just walked in and saw none of that," she pleaded; the fact that she was wearing only a thin tank top and purple cotton underwear didn't seem to faze her.

"Oh, I saw the whole thing. I didn't shut the door so I wouldn't interrupt you," he laughed.

"Liked that song, did you Cap?" she smirked.

He blushed and shifted his weight, clearly uncomfortable. "It was…very descriptive."

"Welcome to music from this century."

The smiling redhead was about to go to her room and finish dressing when Jarvis interjected, "Ms. Storms, I would advise you to make yourself presentable. Captain, a new, less sweaty shirt would be nice, please."

"What's going on Jarvis?" Steve asked the AI.

"Director Fury is requesting a video chat."

Rory glanced nervously at Steve as he asked, "Did he say why he wanted to talk?"

"The director has informed me that it quite an urgent matter. I'm assuming something involving HYDRA," Jarvis replied.

Her hands started to shake and her breathing became shallow. Had HYDRA found them? Were they on their way to kill her?

Trying not to pass out, Rory said as confidently as she could, "Give me two minutes then accept his request."

* * *

 **Alright so...bit of a cliffhanger. Wonder what Fury wants? HMMMMMMM... Anyways, I tried to throw a little bit of everything in to satisfy everyone: humor, fluff, flirting...I hope you guys are happy with it. Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes.**

 **The song that Rory is singing when Steve gets back is _Ride_ by Chase Rice. YOU GUYS SHOULD TOTALLY LISTEN TO IT AND HAVE A GOOD LAUGH AT HOW SEXUAL IT IS BECAUSE STEVE IS SO INEXPERIENCED AND HAD TO LISTEN TO RORY SING ALL THIS NAUGHTY STUFF! (it's not the most sexual song I've ever hear, but damn! is it sexy)**

 **Here's the YouTube link for it:** **watch?v=7yKJxGwZMxs**

 **ENJOY IT!**

 **Some other songs that Rory listened to during her shower were:**

 **Everybody- Backstreet Boys**

 **Rocket Man- Elton John**

 **Uptown Funk- Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars**

 **Kiss Me- Sixpence None the Richer**

 **Sex- The 1975**

 **Thanks for reading! Until next time -KAITi**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey! I had a lot more fun writing this chapter than the last few. Things are starting to get interesting! I debated whether or not to start the real romance in this chapter or to hold off...Guess you'll just have to read it to find out what I decided. THANKS to all the people who have followed/favorited/reviewed so far! And, of course, thanks for reading!**

 **On we go...**

 **Discalimer: Anything Marvel is not mine to claim.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Back to Reality**

 **Cabin**

 **12:15 hours**

 **August 2, 2014**

"Ms. Storms, the request has been accepted. The video chat will begin presently," Jarvis informed her.

Rory sat in front of the computer screen and waited for Director Fury's face to pop up on the screen. She could sense Steve standing close behind her; his soldier persona quickly replacing the relaxed, carefree man she had been getting to know for the past month.

"I don't know why everyone insists on taking so damn long to talk to me. It's not like I have all the time in the world, people. I've got other shit I need to take care of, too," Fury ranted.

"I'm sorry, director, but I didn't feel like showing off my underwear," Rory replied.

Steve chuckled behind her and she smirked. "Right now I don't give a rat's ass what you are or aren't wearing. The only thing that's of any concern to me is your safety with HYDRA turning over every rock trying to find you."

"Have they found us?" Steve asked.

"It's hard to know for sure if they've discovered your exact location or not. With all the HYDRA agents that had been inside S.H.I.E.L.D. before the fall, it's entirely possible that someone had access to all of our safe houses," the director explained.

Rory looked back at Steve and then down at her lap. It was obvious that he was going into full tactical mode and attempting to figure out what they should do. "What are you suggesting we do? If we're not safe here, and HYDRA does know where all of the safe houses are, is there really anywhere else we can go?"

"I've been trying to find a location that we could move you both to, but I'm not sure it would solve our problem," he paused. "I've been discussing this with some of my most trusted agents and we've come to the conclusion to seek aid from the government to help hide you. They have places all over the world that HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D. have nothing to do with. After we're through here I have a phone conference scheduled with your father, Rory, to—."

"No, no, no, NO. You are not involving him with any of this," she snapped.

"I don't see any other option. He has good connections and his only wish from the beginning is that we keep you safe at all costs."

"He gave up his right to decide what's best for me and my safety the moment he let you drag me into all of this. If you want me to cooperate and do what you tell me, then he can't be a part of this whole thing," she told him sternly. Rory sat back in the chair and crossed her arms over her chest waiting for Fury to respond.

A long minute passed before the tense silence was broken, "Sir, if I might offer a solution: speak with Peggy Carter instead. I'm sure she has a good amount of pull in the political world being one of the founding members of S.H.I.E.L.D. and all. Maybe she knows someone that could help us out?"

"No offense, Cap, but you're girl's not all there anymore. I doubt she could be of any service to us."

Rory still listened to their conversation, but she was also thinking about how it made her feel when Fury called Peggy Steve's "girl". She'd been tip-toeing around the fact that she had actual feelings for the Super Soldier for weeks. It just kept getting pushed to the back of her mind every time she reminded herself that things were far too complicated right now. Still, something inside Rory yearned for her to be his and only his.

"I know all about her health issues, director," he said, staring at the ground. Sorrow laced his voice and Rory's heart went out to him. She knew what it was like to watch someone you loved wither away to nothing. "I've been to see her and I can tell you she remembers a great deal of things, some of which could be useful."

"I'll look into it but if it's not turning out to be promising, I will do whatever I have to in order to keep Ms. Storms out of HYDRA's hands," Fury assured them.

Before either of them could say anything back, the connection ended.

She sighed and stood up. "Well, looks like our quiet vacation is coming to a close."

* * *

Steve watched her walked to the couch and plop down completely defeated. A strong urge to wrap her in his arms and protect her from the world overtook him, but he'd been trying not to touch her since she ran out of the room the morning they woke up together. It was pretty clear from that how she felt about him. Sure it hurt, but Steve knew they needed to focus on dealing with HYDRA before anything else. The chat with Fury had reminded him of that.

"Do you really think that Peggy could help?" Rory asked.

He turned where he was standing and glanced down at her. She looked so tiny folded up on the couch. "Yes, I think she could. And even if she can't, Fury's pretty good at finding solutions."

"I just…I thought coming here, to this cabin, was it. I figured we would hide out here for a few months and everything would be handled and then I could go back to my life," she explained. "I would be able to finally do what I wanted now that I've kicked my father to the curb. No more writing journalism or living in the city. I could move to…Montana and write what I wanted. No strings attached."

Steve laughed, "You just can't wait to get rid of me, can you?"

"Nope. You've been driving me absolutely bananas for the past month with all the whistling of old music, walking around shirtless and sweaty, making me breakfast every morning. It's all incredibly annoying," she said sarcastically.

"Ouch, Red, that hurts," he replied, pressing his hands to his heart as if she had caused him real pain.

* * *

Her stomach flipped at the use of his new nickname for her and, for a instance, Rory forgot about how quickly their bubble had been burst today. She liked the way it made her feel special, like she knew him on a very personal level, which she guessed she did in a way. "Oh, come on now. I'm sure my words aren't the reason for your sudden heart problems."

"You're constantly messing with my heart," he whispered as he sat down next to her. Rory felt the rush of heat flooding her cheeks and stared down at her lap, suddenly feeling extremely shy. The way he said it was almost like a confession of his feelings.

"Steve, I want—," she started but was cut off by the sound of a jet landing outside the cabin. She was just about to ask Jarvis what was going on when Steve jumped up and ran out the door. Just as curious, Rory followed him and was amazed to see one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s black Quinn jets parked in the middle of the open field to the left of the cabin.

Coming down the ramp off the aircraft was Agent Barton dressed in his black Hawkeye suit, quiver and all. He began jogging towards them and Steve ran to meet him halfway. They exchanged a few words before the archer retreated back to the jet and Steve returned.

"What did he say?" she asked when he was still a few yards away.

He brushed past her, his arm tickling hers as he did, and said, "We have two minutes to get our stuff and be on that plane."

"Where are they taking us?"

The soldier stopped what packing his bag and glared at her; a terrified shiver running through her body. "Quit asking questions and go grab your things. We don't have time to mess around."

She stood there stunned by his harsh tone. Rory had never been exposed to him acting like this—he was always so kind and gentle when he spoke to her. Seeing this…this cold soldier replacing the old-fashioned gentleman made her even more worried about just how serious things really were now. When she had talked to Fury earlier it didn't seem like a big deal, the fact that HYDRA might know where they were hiding, but it was finally starting to sink in.

"Now, Rory!"

She snapped out of her thoughts and rushed to her room. It only took her thirty seconds to gather her belongings and proceed to the jet with Steve leading the way.

Rory was bombarded with agents the minute she walked onto the plane. One of them took her bag, another grabbed her wrist and sild some kind of techy bracelet on, and two more ushered her to a seat. They buckled her in and, not even two seconds later, the plane took off.

Glancing around, Rory searched for Steve. He stood leaning against the opening of the cockpit talking to Barton quietly. His back was to her and she was happy to have some time alone to collect herself. She continued to stare at his backside as she took deep breaths to calm her frazzled mind.

He must have felt her eyeing him because he turned and smiled softly at her. Steve said one last thing to Barton prior to taking up a seat next to Rory. She caught a glimpse of Clint looking over his shoulder at them and smirking, which made her think back to what she almost said to Steve before the jet had interrupted them. With a shake of her head, she pushed that thought to the back of her head and decided to focus on more important things.

"I'm sorry I barked at you earlier," he apologized. "I was just worried about getting out of there before something really bad went down."

"It's fine," she assured him. He nodded and leaned back more in his seat. "Was something really bad about to go down?" Steve didn't say anything and Rory knew he was holding something back. "Tell me."

He peeked quickly at her and sighed, "HYDRA was on their way to us. We were lucky S.H.I.E.L.D. noticed or things could have turned ugly. You would have gotten to see me go full-on Captain America."

She laughed. "Darn. I was kind of hoping I would get the chance to see that. I'm more than happy to wait until you have your uniform, though," she grinned and shot him an over-the-top, totally cheesy wink.

"Do women really find a man in uniform more attractive?" he asked innocently.

"Oh yeah! I think it has something to do with the way they fit a man just right. And the protective solider thing is a major turn on, too," she explained.

"Guess I'll have to start wearing it around in public," he joked.

"You would definitely have women swarming you if you did that. It'd be an easy way to find a girlfriend," she said half-heartedly.

He watched her out of the corner of his eye but didn't say anything.

Rory scanned around making sure there were no agents around. All of them were towards the front. She leaned closer to Steve and quietly asked, "Do you know where they're taking us?"

"Yeah, we're going to France," he said and looked away.

"Why France?"

He cleared his throat. "Peggy has a vacation house there. It's not a permanent place to hide out but it should work until Fury finds somewhere more secure."

"Oh…cool. Will she be there?" Rory questioned, trying not to sound too unpleasant.

"No," he told her. "It'll just be us. Same as the cabin."

She looked away to hide the smile that formed almost instantly. Being alone with Captain America was one of her new favorite things in the world.

* * *

 **I couldn't figure out how to word/close the ending so sorry if it was kind of weird. So they're on the run, which means their feelings kind of got buried under all of the other important stuff going on. Maybe something interesting will happen in the next chapter ;) Rory almost spilled the beans before the Quinn jet ruined things...talk about bad timing. Hope you all are still liking it! LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK so I know if I'm still doing things right.**

 **Thank you guys for reading! Until next time -KAITi**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey so...sorry...health issues, crazy semester at school, work...yeahhhhhhhhhhhh... So I'm just going to drop this off and slowly back away. *Runs***

 **On we go...**

 **Disclaimer: Plot is mine...characters are not...except Rory.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Oops, There Goes Gravity**

 **France**

 **22:15 hours**

 **August 3, 2014**

Rory was jostled awake as the Quinn jet touched down in the middle of nowhere. Her eyes opened and she was thrown off by the tilt of the world around her. It took a second to realize that her head was resting on something solid. Whatever it was smelled amazing. Picking her head up, she turned to see Steve still next to her. His attention was focused on something at the front of the plane.

 _Was I sleeping on him?_ She thought, slightly horrified. _How embarrassing!_

Before she could say anything, Barton announced that the SUVs that were going to take them the rest of the way had arrived. They filed out of the plane and into their designated vehicles. Lucky for Rory, Steve and she got assigned a car to themselves in the middle of the car procession; the agents taking to the SUVs around them to protect them if needed during the trip.

"You doin' okay?" Steve asked after they slid into the car.

"Fine. Just tired," she replied.

He smirked and started the car, the engine gently purring to life. "Yeah, I know."

Rory sunk further into the seat out of embarrassment. First, she had fallen asleep with him on the couch a few weeks ago and now this. She was going to have to lock this down when they arrived at the new house. The last thing she needed was to make things awkward between Steve and her.

It was a two hour drive to Peggy's vacation house. They had only been on the road for twenty minutes or so before Steve looked over and saw Rory fast asleep. He thought back to the flight here and how wonderful it felt to have her resting against him. Every time she woke up with him next to her, though, she freaked out. He didn't know if it had something to do with him personally or if it was just embarrassment. Steve could understand the latter having fought with himself the morning they woke up together on the couch. His body emerged from sleep aroused by the feel of Rory's body pressed to him, and it took absolutely everything in Steve not to give into it.

The hours ticked by slowly. Rory remained asleep beside Steve the entire time. When they finally arrived at their new dwelling, the Super Soldier lifted the sleeping woman into his arms and carried her inside without exchanging a single word with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. He would have time to talk to them after Rory was safely tucked away in bed.

 **Peggy's Vacation House**

 **8:40 hours**

 **August 4, 2014**

The sound of waves crashing woke Rory the next morning. Her brows knitted together in confusion as she slowly sat up in the unfamiliar bed. She gasped at the breathtaking view before her. Through the window she could see the water beating against the beach far below. Tossing the covers back, she rushed to the window. The water was far below with a sea of green stretching up towards the house. They were perched on top of a very tall hill.

Turning around, Rory observed the room. It appeared to take up the entirety of the second floor. She wandered about finding a spacious bathroom and closet. Her suitcase was placed at the end of the bed on an ataman. After a quick change of clothes, she headed downstairs to find Steve.

She discovered him in the small living room area shirtless and doing crunches. He smiled brightly at her and continued with his workout. It was a struggle not to gawk at him as he curled and uncurled, his stomach muscles bulging with each rep. She pulled out one of the stools from under the kitchen island and sat. Rory tried to hide her sadness when he finished his crunches and pulled his shirt back on.

"I'll just take a quick shower and then I'll make breakfast," he told her. "I would have made it sooner but I wasn't expecting you to be up so early."

She chuckled. "Well I did get a lot of sleep on the way here."

"That you did," he agreed and bound up the stairs.

While he showered Rory explored the first floor. She couldn't believe how small the vacation house was – it was even smaller than the cabin. Curious as to what it looked like outside, Rory went to the door and reached for the knob. Just as her skin touched the cool metal of it and was about to twist, someone spoke.

"I would refrain from doing that, Ms. Storms," Jarvis warned, his voice booming through the house.

She jumped and released the doorknob, her handing flying to her chest as her heart raced from being startled. "Hello to you, too, Jarvis. You scared the crap out of me."

"Sorry, miss. I am a new addition to this house. It seems I am still getting used to my surroundings. I will adjust my volume presently," he explained.

"Why can't I go outside?" she asked the AI.

It took a minute for him to respond, "The alarm is triggered whenever a door or window is opened. You need a code to punch into the alarm system panel before entering and exiting. As of right now Captain Rogers is the only one here with the code." She looked up the stairs to where the Super Soldier was showering. "And I doubt he will give you the code since you should not be outside the cottage without him in attendance."

"Right, I'm the child and he's my babysitter," she huffed.

"They don't pay me nearly enough to babysit you."

Rory turned at the sound of Steve's voice behind her. He was strolling down the stairs in fresh clothes; his damp hair sticking up at all angles from where he had probably used a towel to semi-dry it. He headed to the kitchen and started grabbing food to make breakfast. She walked over to the counter and reclaimed the stool she had been sitting on earlier.

"Careful there, Cap. I may be small, but I'll still kick your ass," she joked.

He laughed wholeheartedly. It was like music to her ears and instantly put a huge smile on her face. "The day you bring me to my knees is the day pigs fly."

He set down a tall glass of orange juice in front of her. "I accept that challenge, gramps," she smirked.

"I was fighting long before your parents were even around. Just keep that in mind, doll," he winked at her and started frying up some eggs.

Downing her glass of juice, she walked over to the sink and set it inside. As she made her way back to her seat, she grabbed Steve's hips from behind, raised herself onto her tiptoes and whispered in his ear, "I have my ways of getting you to break. Ways I'm certain you'll be happy my parents aren't around for."

She felt him tense up right before she backed away and shook her head. _What the hell was that_ , she thought and mentally slapped herself. _It was fun, though._

He was still frozen in front of the stove staring down at the eggs in the pan as they slowly began to burn.

"Steve?" she called out to him. "Steve! I was just kidding. Relax."

He coughed and loosened up, swearing as he realized the eggs were inedible. Silence filled the cottage while he finished cooking. Steve made two plates and handed one to Rory as he slid onto the stool next to her, careful to keep a good distance between them.

"I'm sorry if I overstepped a boundary before," she apologized as they ate.

He finished chewing a bite of his toast. "Not at all. It was…funny."

But, even with his reassuring that it was fine, Rory couldn't help but think she had moved a little too fast. Made a wrong move. Scared off the gorgeous man next to her and she hoped she could figure out a way to get them back to where they had been before breakfast.

* * *

 **I know it's a bit short but I wanted to give you guys some new story to read. It's been...a long time. Sorry again. I'm starting to feel much better after surgery and can finally start thinking up more stories for you all. Hope you liked it.**

 **Apologies for an grammar/spelling mistakes.**

 **Until next time... -KAITi**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello my lovely readers! Hooray for a new chapter (and I guarantee you'll love it) Hehe ;) That's all I'm going to say. You'll have to read to see exactly what I'm winking at.**

 **Disclaimer: Marvel is not mine.**

 **On we go...**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: She Got the Moves**

 **Peggy's Vacation House**

 **10:45 hours**

 **August 7, 2014**

It had been three days. Three days of complete and utter boredom locked inside the cottage. There was no TV, no computer, and no connection to the outside world other than Jarvis. The AI was Rory's only company, besides the books that she pulled from the bookshelf in the living room. Steve had somehow managed to make himself scarce, yet always popped up when Rory was about to set the alarm system off in an attempt to escape the house.

"Jarvis, where's Steve?" she asked as she lay on her bed thumbing through one of the books she was trying to get into.

"Captain Rogers has stepped out."

She sighed and flipped over onto her back. "Did he say where he was going? Or when he'd be back?"

"I believe he said something about going to the market for some fresh fruit. It's located about 3 miles down at the base of the hill."

"What's wrong with me?" she wondered half to herself and half to get a response from Jarvis.

"Your vital signs appear to be normal," he said matter-of-factly.

"I wasn't talking about physically, J," she exhaled and rolled off the bed. Pacing had become something she had done since her botched breakfast with Steve. It was easting her up not knowing how to fix their relationship. "How can I get him back to cabin Steve? I know I overstepped a boundary with him. I just don't know how to un-step that boundary."

"Perhaps start by greeting him at the door when he arrives in 3…2…"

The alarm beeped three times acknowledging that an authorized person had arrived. She ceased her pacing and peered down the stairs to see Steve with his arms full of brown paper bags from the market. He glanced up the stairs at her when the hardwood floor creaked beneath her foot. All he gave her was a tiny smile before heading off towards the kitchen.

Rory took a deep breath and quietly told herself, "It'll only change if I make it change."

* * *

Steve wanted to unpack the food he had picked up at the market quickly so he could shower. He had run the short 3 miles to the bottom of the hill earlier and the heat of midmorning on the walk back had only added to the sweaty mess Steve was already. But it was worth the perspiration to have had some time away from the cottage to think about Rory. It had been a risk leaving her on her own, considering he was charged with protecting her. He had glanced at his phone every five seconds while he was gone to make sure none of the alarms had been triggered.

"It'll only change if I make it change," he heard Rory say upstairs. Steve wasn't quite sure what she meant and he didn't have too long to dwell on it before she came traipsing down the stairs. It had been a couple of awkward days since she had gotten up behind him and whispered in his ear. For an instant he had been completely consumed by her words, wanting nothing more than to turn around and show her he had a few moves of his own. Then he remembered that he had a job to do and his feelings for Rory had to come second. Her safety was his top priority.

She swept into the kitchen and hopped up on one of the bar stools, her blue eyes watching him move around the kitchen putting things away. He fought to keep his eyes from traveling over her bare skin, which was abundant given that she was still in the tank top and cotton shorts she had slept in.

"Did you, ugh…get anything good at the market?" she asked him when his back was to her.

He turned and gave her a curt nod. "Jarvis tell you where I went?"

"Yeah," she confirmed. Steve saw her open her mouth like she had something more to say before she snapped it shut and shook her head.

"Well, I'm going to go take a shower," he informed her and started to exit the kitchen.

As he walked past her, though, she reached out and grabbed his forearm. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked down at where they were touching, noting the goosebumps decorating his arm. His heartbeat began to accelerate.

"Steve, wait," she started. "I—I wanted to talk to you…about what happened the other day." His eyes raked up her body until they were staring into hers. She looked away and he could tell she was trying to collect her thoughts. "I know you've been avoiding me since what I did at breakfast the other day—I guess I was due for another awkward Rory/Steve moment. And I know you said that we were fine but I messed up."

"You didn't—," he tried to chime in. She was on a roll, though.

"I overstepped a boundary. I got too close and said something that was completely inappropriate. I just don't know how to act around you, not really. I try to keep myself in check, but sometimes I see you and my brain just stops functioning. You smile at me or walk around shirtless or go all Captain America and I can't help but say or do stupid stuff. I'm such a hot mess and, well, you're just hot and…Oh, god, I'm making this sooooooo much worse."

* * *

Steve let out a soft chuckle as Rory let her head fall onto the countertop, her arms winding around her face as if to shield her from his reaction. "You think I'm hot?"

"That was what slipped out, wasn't it?" she mumbled from inside her cocoon.

"You're embarrassed?" he asked, amusement laced in his voice.

"Well, duh," she replied.

"Will you look at me, please? If we're going to talk, I'd like to see your face."

She sighed, lifted her head from the counter and sat up straight on the stool. Her eyes were focused on her feet as she propped them up on one of the spokes so they weren't just dangling about.

Timidly, she brought her eyes up to meet Steve's. His eyes were watching her, her favorite heartwarming smile on his lips, and her first thought wasn't about running to her room and hiding. It was that she wanted to kiss him. She wanted to take a chance and make a move. She had already told him she found him attractive, what else did she have to lose?

Rory was so scared—almost as scared as she had been when HYDRA had held her captive. Her rattling nerves and pounding heart made it almost impossible to stand on the thin spoke of the stool and wrap her arms around Steve's neck. His large hands immediately went to her hips to ensure she didn't fall; his eyes falling to where he was holding her up. He glanced back up, but before he could ask her what she was doing, she leaned in and sealed their lips together.

His hands tightened on her hips. She pulled him closer to her, delighting in the apple taste of his lips. Steve lifted her up, their lips never parting, and set her down on top of the counter. Rory opened her legs and shivered as he slid into the open space. Their tongues danced together in perfect harmony and she smiled into the kiss as Steve let out a low moan.

Without warning, he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. They were both breathing hard.

"We—we shouldn't…It's…I'm supposed to be protecting you," he gasped out.

"Us being together won't get in the way of you protecting me."

"It could," he said and took a step back. The cold crept into Rory from the lack of physical contact. "I could slip up and get you hurt if I don't keep my focus on the mission."

She dropped her eyes to the floor and said, "Your mission is to keep an eye on me, right? Can't you keep an eye on me while also putting your hands on me? God! NO! That's—I didn't mean, you know, sexually. Just that your mission is watching me and you can still manage that while we're together…"

When he didn't respond right away, Rory panicked. She jumped down off the counter and bolted to the stairs. Her foot had just landed on the bottom step when a strong hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled. The breath whooshed out of Rory as her back slammed against the front door. Steve stood directly in front of her, his face inches from hers.

"Rory Storms, will you please stop running away when things get awkward?" he asked her quietly.

"Probably not. It's a defense mechanism."

He cracked a lopsided smile that made her hear hammer against her ribcage. She knew he could hear her heart beating faster with his superhuman ears, which only made it speed up. Her eyes dropped to his lips and she couldn't help but fall into the memory of how they had felt against hers. Just thinking about it made her knees go weak.

"I wasn't done talking to you," he told her.

She sighed. "Yeah, well I'm tired of talking."

"Fine. We won't talk anymore," he said and then kissed her again.

* * *

 **Left you guys hanging a bit. The next chapter will pick up right where this one left off. Steve and Rory will do more talking...and probably a bit more kissing. Finally getting into some Story (Steve/Rory) action!**

 **Thank you all for reading. Also for all the favorites and follows. You're awesome! Let me know what you think.**

 **Sorry for any mishaps with the grammar or spelling. My bad.**

 **Until next time -KAITi**


	12. Chapter 12

**Yay new chapter! Things start happening in this new addition (and no it's not smut). Hydra is closing in on Steve and Rory. What will happen? Read and see :)**

 **So I have a question that I would love an answer to: My One Direction lovers, I've been writing a fanfic featuring our lovely boys. I'm over 10,000 words in and I want to know if people would be interested in reading it? Let me know if you'd want me to post it here, or somewhere. THANKS!**

 **Anyways...Disclaimer: Marvel=not mine**

 **On we go...**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Let's Get This Started**

 **Peggy's Vacation House**

 **11:20 hours**

 **August 7, 2014**

"I think it's time for that shower you mentioned before," Rory told Steve after she pulled away from the kiss he had planted on her after she tried to run away. She wanted nothing more than to continue their hot and heavy business, but the smell of sweat on him was overwhelming.

"I would have taken one sooner, but I was attacked by this cute redhead," he smirked.

She laughed, "What? A big guy like you couldn't fight her off?"

"Maybe I didn't want to," he said and leaned in for another kiss. Right before his lips touched hers, though, she pressed her index finger against them.

"Shower first, kiss after."

Steve sighed and turned towards the stairs. She admired him from behind and couldn't believe that a man as beautiful as him would want someone ordinary like her. Just looking at him set her on fire; the way he looked, the way he moved. She wondered if she had the same effect on him.

 _Maybe all of this is just because we're constantly around each other. I'm the only girl he's been near in months,_ Rory thought to herself. She shook her head and told herself it wasn't true.

Steve didn't tend to take long showers so she went over to the couch and picked up the book she had been slowly reading the past few days. It was difficult to focus on the words she was reading with the memory of Steve pressed against her, kissing her, still running through her mind. After a month of being around each other and feeling this attraction, she felt relief that it was all out in the open now.

The swish of a paper hitting the floor caught her attention. She placed her book back on the side table and stood, looking behind the couch where the noise came from. On the floor in front of the door was a crimson envelope. It was surprising with all of the security measures the cottage was equipped with, that the alarms weren't triggered.

She scooped it up and flipped it over. Her name was scrawled across the front of the envelope in jet black ink. Her heart was pounding as she opened the flap. It obviously wasn't a messaged from S.H.I.E.L.D. since they used Jarvis to communicate. And the fact that it arrived following Steve's departure from the room made her even more anxious.

The card inside was stark white and, with the contrast of the blood-red ink, it made her eyes hurt looking at it.

 _Spreading lies,_

 _Cutting ties,_

 _Come to us_

 _Or everyone dies._

The papers fell from her hands and slapped against the hardwood. Her hand covered her mouth to keep her from screaming. Hot tears stung her eyes. She peered down at the message to see the symbol that had been haunting her for weeks. The eyes bore into her soul; the curling tentacles stretched out towards her threatening to wrap her up and squeeze the life from her.

She heard the shower still going upstairs, but she knew she needed Steve. Her feet tried to carry her the short distance to the stairs, but her legs were violently shaking. A deep breath helped enough to get her moving up the staircase. By the fourth step she collapsed, her knees cracking against the wood of the stairs. She gave a frustrated huff and let her head fall in her hands. Tears cascaded down her cheeks; her sobs loud enough to keep her from hearing the shower shut off and Steve call her name.

Rory could feel the pounding of his feet against the stairs as he rapidly descended towards her. He crouched in front of her, clad only in a pair of tight-fitting boxers, and grabbed her by the shoulders, giving her a slight shake.

"Rory! Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong," he begged.

She scooted closer to him, needing to feel protected, and whispered against his chest, "They found us. They know I'm here."

His body tensed and she watched his eyes fall on the piece of mail scattered on the floor. He left her side and collected it before returning to her side. After scanning it quickly, he tucked the card back into the envelope and turned to her.

"I need to let Fury know about this," he told her. "But first, let's get you upstairs so you can rest."

* * *

Steve knew he took her guard when he lifted her into his arms and carried her up the remainder of the stairs. He set her gently on the left side of the bed and sat next to her. Rory kept her eyes down, picking at her fingernails instead of making eye contact.

"You know you're safe, right? I won't let anyone come near you. And I'm definitely not letting you go to them," he promised.

"It says people are going to die, Steve."

He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "And you'll die if you turn yourself over."

"My life doesn't matter nearly as much as the numerous lives they'll take if I stay here," she rationalized.

"It does to me," he said sternly. "And not just because it's my job to keep you safe and away from HYDRA. I care about you more than I have cared about anyone in a _very_ long time. I'm not letting you go, especially when I just got you."

"Steve—," she started.

"No. There's no negotiating on this. I'll talk to Fury about it all and we'll figure something out," he said.

"Okay."

Steve got up and went around to the other side of the bed, sliding in beside her. They laid on their sides facing each other and tried to stop worrying for the moment. He reached out and pulled her against his chest. It was easy to tell himself he could keep her safe if they never got up—if she stayed right here in this bed with him.

He relaxed a bit when he felt her breathing even out, letting him know she was asleep. Slowly, he lifted the arm that he had draped over her and dug in his pocket for his phone.

 **H contact.**

 **Location compromised.**

 **Call ASAP.**

He pressed send and waited. It was less than thirty seconds before his phone buzzed with an incoming call.

"Rogers."

"What happened?" Director Fury asked.

"A message was delivered about twenty minutes ago. I was in the shower when it arrived," he explained.

"And Ms. Storms?"

"Rattled but safe. The message on the card said they wanted to her to come find them," he informed the director. "And that, if she didn't, people will die."

"She's not thinking of doing something stupid, right?"

"No, sir. I convinced her she needed to stay here with me."

"Good. I'm sending a jet to pick you both up. I want you back at headquarters. We need to find these bastards," Fury told him and hung up.

Steve glanced over at Rory peacefully asleep and exhaled. It was scary how much he had grown to care about her in the short time they had known each other. He hadn't felt this way about a woman since Peggy. Part of him even thought his feelings for Rory were stronger, more consuming. That fact alone was enough to have him shaking in his boots.

Quickly, he packed their bags so they could leave as soon as the jet arrived. Then he returned to the bed and snuggled up to Rory, hoping and praying this wouldn't be the last time he got this opportunity. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, her eyebrows knitting together for a second, and then closed his eyes.

* * *

 **Oh no! Story just got together and now Hydra is rearing its ugly face once again. Steve and Rory head back to HQ in the next chapter and they have to adjust to be back around other people, especially now that they're kinda together. And the hunt for Hydra becomes the main focus for everyone.**

 **If you guys haven't checked out my other Captain America fanfic, "The Violinist", you totally should!**

 **Also, people have been curious as to what Rory looks like. I've posted a sketch of her on my tumblr page so search me:** **southernkaiti12 (The Fa11en Writer)**

 **Let me know if you're interested in seeing my One Direction fanfic.**

 **THANKS to everyone who's followed/favorited! And thanks to all of you for reading!**

 **Grammar/Spelling apology.**

 **Until next time -KAITi**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello, my lovely readers. Many apologies for not updating in a few months. My uncle passed after battling with cancer for nine months. It was hard to write after he was gone and I've only recently had the motivation to keep going. You guys keep me going. I updated my other story the other day and the reviews that I've gotten since then have been so sweet! Thank you guys for reading and putting a smile on my face.**

 **Anyways...**

 **On we go...**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Only to Say Goodbye**

 **Peggy's Vacation House**

 **2:00 hours**

 **August 7, 2014**

The hum of a Quinn jet roused Steve from his light sleep a few hours later. He looked around the room, making sure nothing had changed while he was napping, before leaning over and whispering, "Rory."

She mumbled something incoherent and Steve repeated her name. Seeing her sleeping so peacefully made him wish he didn't have to wake her, but they needed to leave now that HYDRA knew their location. He ran his hand down her arm and said her name again. She stirred this time and cracked a single eye open.

"Steve?"

"Hate to wake you but we're leaving. Fury sent a jet," he explained.

"Where's he sending us now?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

The side of his mouth quirked up at her dislike of the director. "Back to headquarters." Rory looked at him with her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "They thought hiding you from HYRDA would work. Now they think having you somewhere obvious, but packed with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, is a better way to go."

She gave a short nod and shifted out of the bed. Steve observed her as she walked to the closet and opened it, expecting to find her things tucked inside.

"I already packed," he told her. "The jet's outside. Clint's on his way in right now."

Not thirty seconds had passed when they heard the click of the front door opening and Jarvis announcing the archer's arrival. Steve picked up their bags and headed down to meet Clint; Rory still dazed from the suddenness of departing.

She shuffled down the stairs a moment later and found the men discussing something in hushed whispers. Steve stood with his arms across his chest and a stern expression on his face. He glanced up at her when she reached the bottom of the stairs, his face softening with a small smile. Clint glanced quickly between them and immediately sported his own smile.

"Hey there, kid," he greeted.

"Agent Barton."

"Ouch, you make me sound so old with the whole "agent" thing," he teased. His high-tech watch beeped and he went serious. "Time to get moving."

Clint led the way out of the house, Rory sandwiched in between the two guys. As they neared the jet it was clear that everyone was on high alert. There was nearly double the amount of agents here than there was when they had been brought from the cabin. HYDRA must be close if Fury sent this much manpower.

They were ushered into the jet and directed towards a pair of seats to the right. Rory sat and buckled herself in before Steve took the spot next to her. She bounced her leg, anxious to take off, and Steve instantly took notice. His big hand covered her knee and forced her to stop the anxious bouncing. Rory sighed and slumped back in her seat.

Clint was the last to board the aircraft. He took the pilots seat and started flipping buttons. It wasn't long before they lifted off the ground and began their journey back to home base.

* * *

As soon as they touched down and exited the jet, Rory was grabbed by a random agent and her red metallic bracelet from her previous stay here was slapped on. Another unknown agent carried their bags off in the opposite direction they were being taken. Steve seemed to know the woman guiding them to wherever they were going. She heard snippets of their conversation as they walked ahead of her. The girl, Max, was Fury's personal assistant from what she gathered and he had instructed her to bring them directly to him once they arrived.

Rory was filled with complete repugnance when they entered the director's office a few minutes later. She had let her feelings about him recede while Steve and she had been away, but now they were back full-force.

"Captain, Ms. Storms," he welcomed. "Seems we've found ourselves in a sticky situation. HYDRA has stepped up the game and we need to get ahead of them."

"Did you have something in mind?" Steve questioned. He stood behind Rory as she sat quietly watching the two men converse.

"I do," he stood and walked over to the wall opposite of his desk. "Director Fury, Nicholas J."

The wall came to life and an automated woman asked, "How can I be of service, Director?"

"Bring up the map of known HYDRA hideouts."

A map of the world appeared on the wall, tiny red dots littering the continents. Rory tried to keep herself from panicking too much, but she knew her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head. She didn't think the HYDRA thing was that bad, especially after the huge fight in D.C. had happened.

"Some of these locations are shell hideouts, no one is there. I've sent a few agents to places we strongly believe HYDRA is working out of. There is one location, though, that I've been saving so I can send in my best soldier," Fury explained.

"My job is to keep Rory safe. To do that I have to be with her. You can't send me off on some mission when the stakes have just been raised," Steve argued.

"Your job was to keep her safe while you were at the safe houses. Now that she's being kept under this roof with more than enough agents to watch her every move, you can go on to a new mission. One that still benefits Ms. Storms," the one-eyed man clarified.

Steve crossed his arms over his chest, Rory's eyes zeroing in on the way his biceps bulged, and he widened his stance. It was sexy when he went from Steve to Captain America in a split second. "And if I don't trust your men to keep her safe?"

"That's your opinion and I don't really give a damn about it," Fury snapped. "I gave you your new assignment. I suggest you start thinking about that and leave worrying about Ms. Storms to me."

"Sir—," he began.

"If you really do care for her the way it seems you do from the footage at Peggy's cottage, you shouldn't be standing here debating this with me. HYDRA need to be taken down and you're going to help with that," the director said, finalizing the end of their heated discussion. He strode across the room and took his seat behind his desk. When Steve didn't make a move to leave, he narrowed his eye at him. They were locked in a staring contest until Rory turned and peered up at Steve. A few seconds ticked by until he dropped his gaze to her and let the tension leave his body.

"I'll be fine," she whispered to him.

He glanced up at Fury and then back down to her. "I don't like it."

"Me either."

"Fine," Steve accepted. He reached out and grasped Rory's wrist, twisting the metallic bracelet slightly. His fingers tapped along it a few times and then met her eyes. With a wink, he turned and waltzed out of the office.

"As for you Ms. Storms, you will be assigned two agents that will alternate guard duty. That means one of them will be with you at all times. Your wrist cuff can track you if you decided to try leaving the compound. Your things have been taken to the Avengers' living quarters. There are several empty rooms to choose from, though I believe you'll probably be bunking in Captain Rogers's room," Fury informed her.

She could feel her cheeks become hot at the mention of staying in Steve's room. He was leaving for a mission, but Rory still knew it was an intimate thing for two people who had just gotten together. Granted, they had been sharing the same living space for weeks. Still, it was a room. With a bed in it. A bed that Steve slept in. That was new, even if they had been in the same bed earlier at the vacation house.

Fury pressed a button on his desk. She caught the shimmering of a projected keyboard on the glass and smirked. _Tony Stark and his advanced Avengers compound,_ she laughed to herself. A man and a woman, both wearing the navy and black S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms, walked into the office a few paces and stopped.

"These are the agents assigned to you," Fury enlightened. "Agent Jackson Wilkins and Agent Amara Collins. They will escort you to your new living quarters."

Rory stood and surveyed her new babysitters. Agent Wilkins was handsome with his dark curls and emerald eyes. He looked her up and down, grinning as he met her stare. Agent Collins was stunningly different with her flawless ebony skin, Amazonian build and bald head. Even more striking than her lack of hair was her eyes—like liquefied gold sparkling in sunlight. She was almost too much to take in.

"Follow us," Wilkins ordered.

The new headquarters was smaller than the Triskelion had been. Rory had seen it several times during trips to the capital with her father. It towered over every other building in the skyline. Her mother joked on their last trip there together that it had to be so big to fit all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets. It had been two years since her passing and it still left an ache in her chest.

They were on the backside of the main building where the Avengers stayed when they were around. Clint was standing in the large kitchen when they arrived. The microwave chimed and he turned his back to them, a childish smile on his face. He pulled out a tray of pizza rolls and took up a stool on the opposite side of the table top.

"Here you're bunking with the big kids," he joked.

"That's what I've been told."

He bit into a pizza roll and spit it back out, coughing from the burning lava of sauce inside. "I'm sure your boyfriend will be happy to hear that."

Rory's cheeks burned but she kept walking behind her guards past the archer to the hall with the bedrooms. She wondered how long it would take for everyone to hear about her relationship with Captain America. Her thoughts drifted back to her first morning here and how all of the girls at the table had gushed about how beautiful and perfect he was. It would be hilarious to see their faces when they heard the news.

"Captain Rogers's room," Wilkins announced, gesturing to the door on the left.

She knocked and waited for him to come to the door. Butterflies danced around in her stomach.

"Hey," he beamed. Her gaze went to his bare chest and her body was flooded with heat. "You could've just come in."

"I didn't know if you were dressed or not," she said, keeping her eyes on the floor. There was something about being back in a place with people constantly around that made Rory act shyer with Steve. He was rummaging through the closet for a shirt so Rory took the opportunity to look around the room. It was all incredibly neat, from the clothes in the closet to the sheets on his bed. He was a military man that was for sure.

"Fury say anything important after I left?" Steve inquired.

"Just told me I was stuck here with two agents following me everywhere," she replied. He smirked, knowing how much being watched over was going to irritate her. "He also told me I was going to be staying here in the Avengers' living quarters."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, he even made an assumption that I was going to be sleeping here in your room," Rory told him, watching him closely for his reaction. He stopped what he was doing, his shirt yet to be pulled over his head. She couldn't see his face but knew he was probably blushing.

Steve didn't stay like that for long, but he refused to look directly at her. "Don't see why you can't if you wanted to. I'll be leaving soon anyways."

"I didn't want to intrude. Fury said there were unoccupied rooms. I can always take one of those."

He tossed the few shirts he had bundled in his hands on his small backpack. It only took two strides for him to be standing in front of her, his hands sliding into her own. "I think after living together for nearly two months and exchanging a few kisses, it's safe to say I'm fine with you staying in my room."

"Good," Rory smiled and stretched up to place a light kiss on his lips. "Better get back to packing, Cap."

* * *

Steve squeezed her hand as they walked out to the launch pad. His stomach turned with the thought of leaving Rory for an undetermined amount of time, but it only motivated him to get the job done so he could return sooner rather than later. And it helped knowing that his mission could aid in making the world a safer place for her to live.

"Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone," he chuckled.

"I will. Just make sure you don't stay gone too long. I'll go crazy without some good company."

"I'm sure you'll find someone to keep you entertained."

"No one as good as you," Rory said truthfully.

He smiled brightly. "Glad to know I won't get replaced."

"Not in a million years."

They stood there for a minute just looking at one another. It wasn't until someone shouted from the jet that Steve agreed he should head out. Before he could pull away, though, Rory grabbed his face and sealed their lips in a kiss that would rival the passion of their first kiss. She made sure she let him know how much she was going to miss him and how much she cared for him.

He reluctantly broke the kiss and whispered, "I have to go."

And with that, he was gone.

* * *

 **That's chapter 13, folks! Hope you enjoyed it. I plan on updating again very soon.**

 **Check out my other story: The Violinist**

 **Sorry for any spelling/ grammar mistakes.**

 **Until the next time -KAITi-**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello, lovely people! Sorry it took so long for a new update. I was trying to figure out where I wanted to go with the story and things finally started clicking in my head today. It's a bit on the short side but great things come in small packages...Anyways thank you all for reading, following, favoriting, reviewing and so forth. Now that I have a plan the updates should come faster.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing Marvel.**

 **On we go...**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Ain't That a Kick in the Head?**

 **Avenger's Compound**

 **19:00 hours**

 **August 29, 2014**

Inside Steve's room is where Rory managed to find the most privacy here at the compound. She hated venturing outside the four walls of the bedroom and being surrounded by hundreds of unfamiliar faces. It was suffocating.

There was something about not having Steve around that made her anxiety go through the roof. During the weeks he had been gone, Rory had become prone to panic attacks and hauntingly realistic nightmares. She knew that she was safe inside the new headquarters, especially with her guards always close by, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen.

"Ms. Storms, it's time for dinner," Agent Wilkins announced through the closed door.

Her stomach rolled with the thought of getting up and going to eat. But if she wasn't outside in ten minutes or so, he would come in and drag her all the way to the main dining hall. Hoping to convey her lack of appetite, Rory picked up a pillow, rolled over and threw it at the door. The hefty thud made her smile. Rolling back over, she went back to staring at Steve's original Captain America shield propped against the wall and prayed that he would be back soon.

"I hope there's a good reason this pillow is laying all the way over here," a lighthearted voice called from the doorway. Rory glanced over her shoulder to see Clint standing there holding a plate stacked high with pizza rolls.

"Are those the only thing you eat?" she chuckled and pushed herself into a sitting position.

He moved across the room and onto the bed, the plate of food splitting the distance between them. "I eat other things, too. These just happen to be my favorite."

"And why is that?"

"I'll tell you if you answer a question for me first," he bargained. She nodded and grabbed a pizza roll off the top of the pile. "How much sleep have you gotten this week?"

"Why do you want to know that?" she asked, taken off-guard.

"Because I do. Now answer," he said sternly.

She thought back and counted up the small amounts in her head. "I don't know…like 10 hours maybe."

"You're gonna run yourself into the ground, kid," he scolded.

"It's not like I can help it! The nightmares I've been having, they're…awful," she explained breathily. "You're the one to blame. I started getting them after that sweet kick to the head during training a few weeks ago."

"Technically, it's Fury's fault since he assigned me to train you in simple combat," he corrected her.

"Yeah, but you were the one do deliver the blow," she countered.

He held his hands up in surrender. "Fine but if you get kidnapped again, at least we know you can handle a good kick in the head."

"Right, thanks for helping me learn that the hard way," she laughed and shook her head. "So now it's your turn. What's the deal with the pizza rolls?"

"If I tell you, you can't speak a word of it to anyone or I'll give you more than a kick to the head," he threatened. All traces of the funny, carefree Clint Barton gave way to the badass archer she had encountered during her rescue almost two months prior.

Rory nodded. "Okay."

"I eat pizza rolls because they're my kids' favorite food. I eat them when I miss them, which is a lot," he divulged, a hint of sadness lacing his voice.

"You have kids?"

"Two and one on the way," he smiled brightly. "And a gorgeous wife that puts up with me and my crazy job. Fury's nice enough to hide them away so they don't get dragged into my dangerous world."

His smile was infectious. "He was okay with you having a family? Isn't it, like, against the rules or something?"

"Not exactly. It's just not a very common lifestyle choice around here. Most agents elect to avoid making attachments because it makes doing the job easier. No one to worry about but themselves," he explained.

"Makes sense. I'm sure you worry about your family all the time," Rory said with a knowing smile. The fact that Clint was a father and a husband made her like and respect him even more. It couldn't be an easy life to lead.

"They're constantly on my mind. I don't know if I'd be the same charming man I am without them. Guess it's why I have a hard time understanding how your dad could use you as bait. It's not right, but not much in this world is anymore."

She nodded and stared at the half-empty plate of food. It was simple for her to comprehend her father's action since he had always been the cold and distant man around her. His lack of affection was why she had become so close to her mother.

"He was barely around when I was younger. My mom, though, was there for me," Rory felt the corners of her lips tug up into a weak smile. "She had problems getting around on her own; some kind of accident messed her up pretty bad before I was born. Whatever happened to her left this really nasty scar across her entire back. She never talked about it, just said it changed her life and put her on the path to having me. Actually, I don't know much about from when she was young. I stopped asking when her reply was always 'my life started when I had you'. I did find these really awesome throwing discs in her closet one time. She grounded me for a month when she caught me with them," she paused and thought back on any other tiny details of her mother's past. Nothing else came to mind, which Rory thought was really weird. A daughter should know things about her mother, especially when they were persistently around each other. "Then she got cancer and died and my father pressured me into journalism. That's how I wound up here."

She looked over at Clint and found him deep in thought. A few seconds ticked by before he met her eyes and asked, "What was your mother's name?"

"Tania Storms. Why?"

"Her maiden name?"

Rory pondered it for a minute or two, sifting through years of untouched memories. Once again, she came up with nothing. "I can't think of it off the top of my head. Why the sudden interest?"

"Just a feeling," he replied and stood from the bed. "I have to go meet with Fury before I turn in. Finish those off and get some sleep."

"Sir, yes, sir," she laughed and gave him a clumsy salute.

* * *

"So you've been hiding things from her is what you're saying?" Clint questioned the director as they sat in his office.

"I have been keeping her in the dark for her own protection. If she falls into HYDRA's hands again, knowing this information could get her killed," Fury informed the archer with a sharp edge in his voice.

"She has a right to know," Clint started and then sighed heavily. "This isn't some top secret S.H.I.E.L.D. data, it's just a single file on one person."

"One person that went against the very people we are trying to take down."

"It's her mother, Nick. The kid deserves to know."

The director exhaled loudly and stared directly at Barton with his index finger pointed, "If something happens to her because she knows this shit, it's on your head. She gets kidnapped; you're the one going in to get her."

"Some things never change," Clint chuckled.

"Swanson, get me the file on Tania Belinsky, code name _Starlight_ ," Fury spoke into the intercom on his desk. "No one else can know about this, understood? We've protected the identities of the Red Guardians since World War II and I'm not about to have another breach in information. The Russians would love to get their hands on this and the same goes for HYDRA."

"I'll make sure it stays between us," the agent assured his boss. "What about Rogers?"

The director turned his chair around so he could gaze out of the floor-to-ceiling windows. "Captain Rogers is on a need-to-know basis while he's away. If she chooses to tell him when he returns, that's her choice to make."

"And when will he be back?"

"Soon. Very soon."

* * *

 **Alright so we've got a bit more information on Rory's mom! And Tania Belinsky (Starlight) is a real Marvel superhero that is one of the many Red Guardians, which were Russia's attempts at making their own Captain America soldiers. She's known to fight along Doctor Strange and his gang, as well as some other Marvel teams, but she's getting put in my story because I like her.**

 **Anyways, Steve will make his reappearance back into the storyline in the next chapter (WOO!). More info on Rory's mom will also be brought to light and some other things that I'm just going to throw in for fun...maybe a heated make-out session or something. Who knows?**

 **Thanks for reading! Love you all very much! And please review! It always puts a smile on my face to hear from you guys.**

 **Also, you should check out my other story, _The Violinist,_ if you haven't already. It's not too shabby if I do say so myself :)**

 **Until next time -KAITi-**


	15. Chapter 15

**Gosh, guys, I'm so sorry it's taken so long for an update. Work and school got super busy and I was spending tons of time finishing up preparations for the wedding (which was crazy fun and went off without a hitch). Anyways, I hope this is everything and more for you guys. I'm really excited with where this is heading.**

 **The title for the chapter came from Niall Horan's ' _This Town_ '**

 **Also, while I was writing this, I was listening to my 1975 playlist, which inspired me. So I'll leave the songs here if you guys wanna listen and get the musical feel for the chapter...**

 **Me- The 1975**

 **Medicine- The 1975 (Steve is Rory's medicine AHHHH)**

 **If I Believe You- The 1975**

 **Please Be Naked- The 1975**

 **The Ballad of Me and My Brain- The 1975**

 **She Lays Down- The 1975**

 **On we go...**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Everything Comes Back to You**

 **Avenger's Compound**

 **8:30 hours**

 **August 30, 2014**

The manila folder sat on the bed in front of Rory, taunting her. The red stamp across the outside read 'CLASSIFIED' and reminded her of the file Mr. Rathmore had shown her when she had been kidnapped. Her eyes scanned over the tab where her mother's name was printed. It scared her and excited her at the same time. Part of her wanted to tear it open and read every single word, study every single picture. But part of her wanted to set in on fire and forget that she had ever seen it.

Clint had dropped the file off last night on his way to bed and she had been up all night staring at it trying to work up the courage to look inside it. If Steve was here, he'd know what to tell Rory so she could feel brave enough to finally get the answers she craved about her mother. But he wasn't here.

She sighed and picked at the loose thread of her sweatshirt. Her finger stretched out and ran over the smooth folder, knowing if she opened it, the picture-perfect image she had of her mother could be shattered. All of the memories she had of the woman that had given life to her and raised her would be altered…But she wanted answers, deserved answers.

"If you keep staring at it, you're going to drive yourself crazy," Clint's voice rang through the room, scaring the crap out of her.

Rory shrugged and sighed again. Her fingers ran through her curls and she looked over at the archer leaning against the doorframe. "If this file was yours, had all your secrets in it, would you want your kids to read it?"

"I think I would, yeah. When they're old enough, of course," he confessed and let his eyes fall to the floor. "We've all done stuff we want to keep to ourselves, but if anyone gets to know everything about me, it's my family. My kids."

"Okay," I breathed and pulled back the cover of the file.

* * *

 **Avenger's Compound**

 **11:56 hours**

 **August 30, 2014**

It was cold and wet and she couldn't stop herself from shaking. The water fell like raindrops on her tired body, matching the drops that fell from her tired eyes, and she found herself wondering how long she had been curled up there. Rory pulled at the sweatshirt she had on, trying to warm herself up a little, but the water had soaked her straight to the bone.

It was surprising that Clint or her bodyguards hadn't come searching for her. Enough time had to of passed for them to wonder where she was since the bedroom was empty. She was content to sulking in the shower alone, gathering her thoughts, but Rory knew she should get out. Unfortunately she was shaking too hard to move on her own.

 _Soviet Union…Sergei Krylov…Mind control…Cobalt radiation...Nuclear energy_

 _Monster_

 _Monster_

 _Monster_

Snippets of what she had read about her mother shot through Rory's mind. She covered her ears with her hands wishing away the words and let out a trembling whimper.

"Stop, stop, _stop_ ," she pleaded with herself.

"Rory?" she heard a voice call out. For a moment, she could have sworn it was Steve's until she remembered that he was gone. "Rory?"

She squeezed her eyes closed tighter and willed her brain to stop teasing her. In the past weeks, she had grown accustomed to having nightmares and questioning herself as to what was real and what wasn't. Her imagination and her reality were starting to blend together. Hearing Steve was just the cherry to top off her insanity sundae.

A knock came at the bathroom door, bouncing off the walls and making her head spin more. "Rory, are you alright?"

"Go away," she whispered; silent tears falling harder down her icy face. Her breathing was slowing down and she knew it was her body's way of conserving energy to keep her heart pumping. Rory was so cold she was almost unconscious.

* * *

By the time the jet had touched down, Steve was practically shaking with excitement. He was so ready to be home, to be able to see Rory for the first time in weeks. It was amazing how much he had missed her while he trekked here and there hunting down HYDRA. Steve had been overjoyed when he received a call from Fury saying it was time to come home. A tiny part of him was nervous, though, about the way the director had sounded on the phone. It left him with a feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was wrong.

He hiked his bag over his shoulder and exited the Quinn jet with a smile on his face. He pushed away his heavy thoughts and focused on getting to his girl as fast as he could.

"Good to have you back, Captain," Fury greeted him as he stepped off the plane.

"Good to be back, sir."

They began walking towards the main building, the bald man's hands clasped behind his back and his eye on the ground. Steve got the feeling he had something he wanted to discuss. "Sir, why did you call me home?"

"Seems you might just be needed here more than out there looking for HYDRA," he admitted.

"Why's that?" Steve asked, concern lacing his words.

"I'm afraid things haven't been going too well for Ms. Storms the past couple weeks now. I instructed Agent Barton to teach her simple combat, but she got hurt during one of their practices—an accident on Clint's part. Knocked her out cold with a straight kick to the head. She was out for days, though she only thinks it was a few hours. We ran all kinds of tests on her for…certain reasons that we can discuss after you've seen her," he paused his words as well as his steps. The director turned to face Steve. "Something happened to her that day and she hasn't been the same since. I've had Clint keeping an eye on her—she trusts him—and he tells me she's been having trouble sleeping."

"Why?" Steve tried to stay calm, but his heart was beating against his ribcage from worry. The bad feeling he had had after getting the phone call from Fury grew.

"Nightmares."

"Nightmares," the soldier repeated. He crossed his arms over his chest. "What kind of nightmares?"

"The kind I think we should be worried about."

"You don't think they're just nightmares?" Steve inquired, confused.

"No, Rogers, I don't think they're just nightmares. I think they're something much more extreme, much more real," Fury explained. "I think they're visions."

It took a second for Steve's mind to comprehend the director's confession. Then it hit him. "You think she's psychic?"

"Clairvoyant is the word I would use, actually," Fury corrected him. Suddenly, his phone chimed and he turned his attention to whatever was on the screen. "Gotta head back upstairs for a meeting. We'll talk later and all of this will make more sense."

Steve stood there dumbfounded by what he had just been told. How could Rory, his sweet, innocent Rory, be going through something this traumatic? In a way, he felt it was similar to his own transformation to Captain America; one day he had been a scrawny, asthmatic kid from Brooklyn, and the next his was this super-strong Super Soldier fighting to save the world. Now someone he cared so much about was struggling with a huge change in themselves and Steve hadn't been there to help her through it.

Without wasting anymore time, Steve rushed into the building and headed towards the Avenger's living quarters. He couldn't get rid of the queasy feeling in his stomach—he was sure something was amiss.

"Hey, you're back!" someone cheered as he entered the shared living space. Steve turned to see Clint perched on a stool at the kitchen counter with his laptop and a fresh plate of pizza rolls in front of him.

"Yeah, just touched down a few minutes ago," the soldier told him. "Have you seen Rory?"

Clint nodded. "Saw her a little while ago. Think she's still in your room. That's where she usually is anyways."

"Thanks," he said and started towards the hallway leading to his room. Before he even reached his door, Steve could hear the sound of water running and the faint sound of sniffling. His heart ached at the thought of Rory being upset about something. He wanted desperately to fix it and make her smile—God, he loved her smile.

Steve hurried into his room, dropping his bag the second he entered, and went straight for the bathroom door. He wanted to rip it open and make sure she was alright, but he didn't want to scare her. Plus, if she was naked, Steve knew he and Rory both would feel _super_ awkward and would tip-toe around each other the rest of the day.

A soft cry caught his attention, breaking his heart even more. "Stop, stop, _stop_ ," he heard her plead.

"Rory," he called through the door and waited for an answer. "Rory?"

The crying intensified and he didn't know how much longer he could stand outside, completely helpless, while the woman he cared about was falling apart a few feet away. He knocked to try and get her to open up, but she had gone silent on the other side of the door.

"Rory, are you alright?" he asked, panic lacing his words. It worried him that she wasn't making any more noise. The only thing he could hear was the erratic beating of her heart. Just when he was about to take the doorknob and snap it off before storming into the bathroom, Steve heard her whisper:

"Go away."

"Please, Rory, open the door," he begged.

"I-I can't. Too c-c-cold." He could barely make out her words, even with his enhanced hearing.

Domestic Steve immediately went away and his soldier instincts kicked in. She wasn't just crying her feelings out in the shower, she was in danger. He grasped the silver doorknob in his hand, squeezed, and twisted it off with a satisfying _snap!_

The door banged against the wall as he entered the tiny room. A shiver went up his spine at the cold temperature of the air—no doubt caused by the freezing water running for who knows how long. His eyes fell on Rory as she laid huddled-up against the glass walls of the shower. Steve grabbed towels from the linen closet to the right before pulling open the shower door and shutting the water off. It unnerved him to see Rory laying there unmoving. He'd probably think she was dead if he couldn't still hear the thumping of her heart.

Bending down, Steve wrapped the towels around her the best he could and lifted her into his arms. He carried her into the bedroom and set her down on the bed, careful to make sure the comforter wouldn't get too wet. Next, he went to his dresser and pulled out one of his plain navy blue t-shirts to put her in. Releasing a shaky breath, Steve went back to the bed and carefully starting pulling the soaking wet clothes off of Rory's limp body. He tried not to look as more and more of her beautiful skin was revealed. He tried not to pay attention to the tingles that shot up his fingers every time his skin touched hers. Instead, he tried to think of why she had done this to herself.

* * *

Rory had given in to the cold so she could stop the thoughts from raging around inside her head. Her eyes shut and the shivering stopped and she let herself fall into the darkness.

Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted off the ground. Her head rolled onto something hard and warm, waking her enough to know she was out of the shower and being moved somewhere else. Warmth was slowly seeping back into her frozen body and the shivers started up again. It didn't help either when she felt the material around her being removed, allowing the air to caress her damp skin.

Her eyes cracked open as her upper body was raised off the comfortable bed and she couldn't believe the sight before her. Steve stood there, stone-faced, as he focused on getting her out of her wet clothes. She was too shocked to be embarrassed at her nakedness at the moment. She took in his crystal blue eyes and his tousled blond hair, which had gotten a little longer since she last saw him. Rory wanted to reach out and pinch him to make sure he was real.

"S-Steve," she stuttered quietly, making his eyes snap up to hers. She could see the tension leave his body as he sighed with relief.

"Hey there, doll," he gave a weak smile. Leaning over her, Steve snagged the t-shirt he'd gotten out for her and unfolded it. "We're going to put this on and then you're going to get in bed to warm up."

She peeked down to see she was still in her underwear, but her bra was gone. Thankfully her curls were long enough now to cover most of her chest. He stretched the t-shirt over her head and pulled it down, helping her get her arms through the sleeves. Gently, Steve picked her up just enough to slide the towel from underneath her before setting her back down. Shakily, she scooted back and pulled the comforter over her. Then she reached down and tugged off her underwear before they could soak through the shirt.

Steve went to picking up her discarded clothes and putting them in the hamper along with the towels. Rory watched him flit around the room, still amazed that he was really here and not some trick of the mind. Once he was done cleaning up, Steve crawled into bed with her.

"Let's get you warm," he told her, dragging her across the mattress until she was flush against him. Rory laid her head on his chest, throwing her arm across his stomach, as he tugged the blanket up to her chin. His hands rubbed up and down her back and arm to get some heat building. They stayed silent for a few minutes until Steve spoke up, "Are you gonna tell me why you were in the shower?"

Rory stayed quiet, sliding her head down to avoid him seeing her face. Clint had told her the night before when he dropped off the file that she could tell Steve about her mother if she wanted to. But she didn't know if she wanted to…at least, not right now. She didn't know how he would react to it or to the fact that it had made a few things click in her mind regarding herself. It was obvious that something was wrong with Rory, but she couldn't figure out what had sparked the change until reading the file. At the same time, though, she knew Steve would be able to tell that she was hiding something major from him. And keeping secrets was no way to start off a relationship…If she could trust anyone, she could trust Steve with this.

"Fury gave me the file on my mom. She was a Red Guardian. I guess they were the Soviet Union's version of you. She was just a neurosurgeon that Doctor Strange had enlisted the help of, but she was kidnapped by Sergei Krylov, also known as the Presence. He wanted her to be his lover or whatever, so he used his mind control on her. Then they were exposed to cobalt radiation followed by a nuclear explosion and they were both transformed. My mom could generate, store and release huge blasts of nuclear energy. While she was under his influence, she hurt, even killed, hundreds of people. But she managed to break Krylov's mind control and she locked herself away in an isolated research facility so she couldn't hurt anyone else. She eventually got better control of her abilities," Rory paused. Her finger traced patterns over Steve's stomach as she remembered the rest. "She was brought out of isolation to help fight alongside Doctor Strange and stuff before she was severally injured and ended up settling down in Washington D.C. where she eventually met my father."

He didn't say anything for a while, which set Rory's nerves on edge. It was a lot to take in, she understood, and she hadn't even gone into complete detail about everything.

"So that's why you locked yourself in the bathroom and almost froze to death?" he questioned, his words coming out slightly hard. She knew it was because he cared and hated seeing her like that…or at least she hoped that was the reason.

"I had trouble wrapping my head around the fact that my mother, who was nothing but loving and kind while I grew up, had done such bad things. She tried to make up for them but people still saw her as a monster with an awful ability," Rory explained.

"And…?"

"And I got in the shower with the intension of letting the hot water relax me and make me calm down, but I started freaking out about it all. Next thing I know, the water's so cold and I couldn't move to get out of the shower," she continued. "My mind was playing tricks on me. I heard your voice and I didn't think it was real. I've been having horrible, realistic nightmares and it's getting harder to tell what's fake and what's real and it scares me. Then Clint shows up with that file last and I read through it and things started making sense. My mom was constantly radiating nuclear energy and she spent most of her time around me so I had to of soaked it up and now this weird shit is happening to me. And I'm worried because they called her a monster when she changed…and now, I-I think I might be becoming a monster, too."

* * *

 **Woo! That was emotional and crazy and a lot of information was thrown out. Steve is back! Hooray! So the next update will go more into Rory's condition and stuff and there'll be some Story fluff :)**

 **Hope you guys are still liking it. I'll have another update soon..probably before Christmas unless my 5sos and 1D fanfics don't take over my life...Lord, help me.**

 **Until next time -KAITi-**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello :D**

 **Massive apology for the HUGE delay on updating. It's been almost exactly one year since I updated last. Holy crap am I sorry! My father passed and I lost all my motivation to write. And I was busy moving to California...and then moving home with the fires in LA destroying so much...**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys are ready to jump back in like I am. We're just starting to find out what's going on with Rory.**

 **Disclaimer: Marvel isn't mine.**

 **On we go...**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: The Shit in My Head**

 **Avenger's Compound**

 **18:34 hours**

 **August 30, 2014**

Rory was floating, feeling the most weightless she had felt in weeks. Her surroundings slowly came to her as she woke up. The sound of a heart beating drummed into her right ear, while the sound of banging rang through her left one. The unbearable exhaustion she had been living with was gone and she sighed, cracking an eye open.

Warm, golden sunlight fell through the windows above her making her wonder how long she had been asleep. Her head moved up and down gently and she smiled to herself. Peering up, Rory was met with the most amazing thing she had seen in nearly a month: a sleeping Steve Rogers.

This morning hadn't been a dream.

Her smile grew wider. It didn't even bother her that Steve saw her basically naked, just as long as it all meant that he was really here. The incessant knocking echoed through the room again, drawing her attention away from the snoozing Super Soldier. Carefully, as to not wake up her sleeping…boyfriend(?), Rory lifted his arms from around her and rolled out of bed. She opened the door and came face-to-face with Agent Collins.

"Dinner time, Ms. Storms," she said, her thick African accent was beautiful.

"I'll be right there," she assured the stoic agent. "I just need to wake Captain Rogers."

She was just about to turn and shut the door when two strong arms wrapped around her waist. Squealing loudly, Rory ripped herself out of the grasp and spun to see Steve laughing behind her.

"So jumpy, doll."

She huffed, "Well stop sneaking up on me, weirdo."

"Sorry, couldn't resist," he smirked.

"You're lucky you're cute."

They headed out of the bedroom and towards the dining hall, Steve's hand laced loosely with hers. Rory was starving after not eating since the day prior, and her episode this morning didn't help her hunger problem.

"How are you feeling?" Steve asked, as if sensing her train of thought. Their eyes stayed forward, focusing on the Amazonian agent in front of them.

"Better. That was the best I've slept in weeks," she said honestly.

"I'm sorry I haven't been here," he mumbled.

"No, please don't apologize," I pleaded. "You had a mission. Taking down HYDRA is more important than my nightmares."

"But they're not just nightmares, are they?"

Rory sighed. She had been hoping Steve wouldn't venture in this direction. "No, they're not."

* * *

"I think I ate too much," Rory laughed as they left the dining hall.

"You did go pretty crazy with all those fries," Steve agreed.

She rubbed her stomach and said, "I couldn't help it. They're my favorite."

They turned down the hall leading to the bedrooms and she realized something: Steve was back now. Did that mean she should move into a room of her own? Everyone joked that they would be sharing Steve's room, but she wasn't sure if that's what he wanted, or if he was even comfortable with that. By the time she came out of her thoughts, they had arrived at his room.

"I should probably head to bed. I have to see Dr. Banner in the morning so he can run some tests on me," Rory spoke up while Steve started pulling sweatpants out of his dresser.

"Okay, I'm just going to hop in the shower," he replied without looking over at her.

"Okay," she smiled and picked up some of her dirty clothes that were strewn on the floor. Turning to put them in her bag, she noticed that Steve was gone. The bathroom door was closed and she sighed.

It didn't take her long to gather her belongings and shove them into her duffle bag. Part of her wanted to drag it out so that Steve would come out and see her packing. But in the back of her mind she knew they needed some space or things between them could turn sour—something that made her heart ache at the thought.

And she had to remind herself that she wasn't the same Rory that Steve had grown to like while they were in hiding. Something was wrong with her and she didn't want it to affect him. So the distance she was forcing herself to put between them was going to benefit them both, even if he couldn't see it right away. Now her life would revolve around precautions, measured steps so that no one would get hurt.

Images from her mother's file flooded her vision, death and destruction. The woman who had raised her would have never intentionally harmed anyone, but the pictures told another story. Tania's power was far stronger than her will to keep it contained. Rory wanted to prevent that kind of tragedy from happening.

Even if it ultimately meant being alone.

* * *

Rory didn't know what she expected out of a high-tech doctor's lab, but she had hoped for something more comfortable than a cold metal exam table. Dr. Banner's assistant, some petite girl named Lily, had given her a thin gown to put on. She was thankful that she got to keep her underwear on.

Her hands gripped the edge of the table, nervously. Though she wasn't in an actual hospital, the same feelings of dread set in that had plagued her during her mother's last few months alive. The hospital became Rory's second home, she was there so often. If the nurses hadn't forced her to leave every night, she would have curled up in the uncomfortable recliner by her mom's beside and slept.

A wave of loneliness swept through her. She had decided not to tell Steve what time her appointment with his friend was—not that she had seen him since she left his room earlier. Now, sitting here alone, she wished she had mentioned it so there was at least a tiny chance he would show up.

Suddenly the door to the lab slid open and Dr. Banner stepped in. She pushed aside her thoughts of Steve and her mom and focused on what was about to go down.

"Aurora Storms," Banner greeted as he made his way closer to him. "I'm Dr. Banner, but you can call me Bruce."

"Hi, uh, Bruce. You can call me Rory."

"Right, of course, sorry. Steve told me you like Rory," he corrected, shaking his head and laughing.

"S-Steve told you?" she inquired.

He nodded. "He talks about you a lot. Used to call me every night when you guys were at my cabin."

"I didn't know that," Rory mumbled and thought back to our brief time at the cabin.

"Anyways, I want to run a few tests today to see what's going on in that head of yours."

"Okay."

He rolled a machine towards her and turned it on. He asked her to lay back on the table. Then he grabbed a headband with sensors on it, placing it on her. Rory's heart raced and she could feel her palms getting sweaty; she was beyond nervous now.

She wasn't prepared to be different.

"This is going to show me your brain output in wavelengths. I can measure them and get an idea of what triggers your episodes," he explained. She nodded and waited for him to begin. Banner pulled a chair over to the machine and sat down. He got a pen out and then turned his attention to her, clicking the top of the pen. "I'm going to ask you a few basic questions to get a base line. How old are you?"

"Twenty-three."

"When were you born?"

"October 22, 1991."

"Who's the current president?"

"Obama."

He scribbled some things down and turned back to her. "Now I'm going to ask you about things that have happened to you in your past. I need to see which ones are triggering you."

"Tell me about your father."

She sighed, "He's an ass. I grew up barely seeing the man and having to watch him treat my mother and I like shit stuck to the bottom of his designer shoes. The only person he cares about is himself, which is why I'm in this mess. And why I cut him out of my life."

The sound of his pen scratching across the paper was the only sound in the room. Rory didn't know if it was good or bad that he was writing something. Her only hope was that it was good.

"Okay, now, tell me about your mother."

Her eyes locked with Dr. Banner's as memories of her childhood overtook me. She felt scared and vulnerable as she thought of her mother, of her secret. All the birthdays and Christmases and days spent in the hospital with her…lies. Looking back, reliving it, Rory could see the signs of what she was, or had been.

 _Monster._

Her breathing picked up and she saw Bruce watching her reaction. Rory tried thinking of something to calm herself down, make her stop reacting this way. So she thought of the only good thing in her life at the moment: Steve.

She took a deep breath and spoke, "M-my mother…was amazing. She was always there for me because my father was always at work. I told her about everything—she was my best friend."

"Good, good," he paused. She took the chance to clear her head and slow her heartrate down. "Tell me about Mr. Rathmore."

"Mr. Rathmore is the man who kidnapped me. A high-ranking HYDRA agent. He's got a huge scar on his face, from his eyebrow to his jaw, and he likes to wear aviator sunglasses," Rory replied.

It was a few minutes before the next request came. She could see the seriousness in Banner's eyes as he observed her. He knew the next one was going to be tough, and she grew worried.

"Tell me about Starlight."

She gasped. Her whole body tensed hearing her mother's alias. She had caused so much destruction—held so much power. The woman behind all those accidental nuclear explosions, killing hundreds…that woman was not her mother. That woman was a liability to the people who created her. If she had never become Starlight so many lives could have been saved. It was all because of some wannabe Super Soldier serum.

Everything before her blurred and faded to black. She couldn't hear the scratching of Dr. Banner's pen, or the faint beeping from the machine; it was dead silent. That's when she saw it:

" _You called for me, sir," a tall, broad man said as he entered an office. Rory watched him approach a sleek glass desk where a man sat with his chair turned towards the floor-to-ceiling window. A cityscape stretched to the horizon far below where they were._

" _Yes, Quince, I did. I want to know if you've had any progress," the other man answered. Rory watched the chair swivel around and her breath caught when she saw the man in the chair._

 _Mr. Rathmore._

" _The girl is being held somewhere we can't track. We lost them over the Atlantic after following them to France," Quince informed him._

" _I thought you said we had a lead on where this new base is? Did you lie to me?" Mr. Rathmore snarled._

" _N-no, sir," the man shook his head quickly. "We have a team out trying to scout the area where our source believed the base could be. Montana is a big state."_

" _I'm aware of that, but I need this girl, Quince," Rathmore ground out. Rory had a sour feeling in her stomach._

 _Quince looked at the floor. "She's just a girl, sir."_

" _She's not_ just _a girl. If she's anything like her mother, she'll be more than useful to HYDRA. She's the key," his lips curled into a wicked smile._

Rory's eyes snapped open and she jerked forward, gasping for breath. Bruce jumped from his chair and grabbed her shoulders.

"Rory! Rory, look at me!"

"He wants me. He wants me," she chanted, her eyes wide open and glued to the floor.

"C'mon, Rory, snap out of it," Bruce pleaded and shook her shoulders.

Her eyes rose and bored into Banner's, tears falling down her red cheeks. "I'm the key."

"What are you talking about? What happened?"

"I-I had a v-vision. Rathmore…wants me. Has a team looking for this place," she stuttered.

He didn't speak, but pushed her back until she was lying on the table again. She could see the cogs in his brain turning, trying to piece things together.

"I need you to try and calm down. Think of something good, happy. Can you do that?" he inquired and went back to his seat. She racked her brain for a happy memory, something big enough to erase the scene she had just witnessed. Banner looked over his shoulder as he wrote down what he had discovered. She wasn't calming down. "Tell me about Steve."

Rory gave him a weary look. Her tears had stopped, but her heart was still beating a mile a minute.

"Go on," he urged.

"He, um, he's Captain America. He was found in the Artic in 2011. Uh, he's ninety-six, but he's biologically thirty-two…," Rory started listing off facts she had come to know while being around Steve.

"No, tell me about Steve...when he's with you," Banner clarified.

"Oh." She thought for a second. _Steve when he's with me…_ "Steve is funny and he doesn't even know it half the time. He's extremely protective; especially when it comes to people he cares about. He knows how to cook because his mom taught him before she passed. We love watching nerdy science fiction shows—I'm turning into a Whovian." Rory paused to think of more stuff. "He listens to country music on the radio because he can't really stand the pop music, but his iPod is full of classical music and stuff from his time. He misses Bucky and Peggy more than he likes to admit. Ummmm…I love it when he calls me 'doll' or when he picks on me. I love when he sneaks up on me, even if it makes me jump. I love his 1940s slang and his manners…"

Banner stared at her and waited for more. It was clear that Rogers had taken her mind off of her vison and slowed her heart down. But now it had set her mind on a different track. She had never sat down and thought at length about how much Steve meant to her, or how he made her feel. Rory had been so tangled up in her own shit for the past few weeks, and missing him, to realize something huge. Something life-changing.

"I...I think I love him."

* * *

 ***Gasp***

 ****Cheering internally****

 **So that's the update. Now we get to explore what Rory can really do with her power...and any other ones she might have.**

 **And will she tell Steve how she feels?**

 **Review/ favorite.**

 **THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!**

 **Until next time (which won't be a year away this time) -KAITi-**


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